See the Truth
by SilentSoundX
Summary: 10 years have passed since we last saw the Cullens and now they have a new member, Adrian with a very strong, and useful power. A new girl comes into town, who has no idea about the world of vampires and werewolves. For her though, it may be even MORE dangerous than it was for Bella. A new Twilight series romance story will be unleashed in the small town of Forks.
1. Prologue (short)

**This is a continuation of the Twilight story years after it happened. This story will involve all of the old character, with a few new ones that I've added. **

* * *

It's been 10 years since we last left off. Renesmee grew up, married Jacob and now they're living together on the Quileute reserve, but they often come to visit the Cullens as well.

The rest of the Cullens live along happily, and nothing happens until the 7th year. This year, they've taken a new addition to their family, 17 year old Adrian who has become a Cullen.

Adrian is the only vampire, besides Bell and Carlisle, who hasn't killed any humans.

His special power is that he can control people's senses, like hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. It is a very useful gift, but as of yet the Volturi haven't heard of him.

* * *

**I know it's a short prologue, but it's more or less to emphasize one of the new characters that I'll be using. The other one is the main character, but I'll be introducing her in the next chapter, since I'll be writing in first-person through her.**

**Please just go on ahead to the first chapter and enjoy. **


	2. Welcome to Forks

"How is it?" I asked Mary, as our car bumped up and down the road. We were on our way to Forks to live with our cousins, Joseph and Lizzy. Our Aunt Libba and our Uncle Peter moved out of Forks years ago, but Joseph and Lizzy had a sort of attachment to it.

Me and my younger sister Mary were also orphans, in a way. Only our parents didn't just move out. They died a few weeks ago, both of them from a disease that I still didn't know how to pronounce.

So I, Charlotte Blyth at fifteen years old lost both of my parents. It was worse for Mary though, since she was only nine. We've both tried not to cry, and I was successful. The same could not be said for Mary. She wasn't as cheerful as she used to be and I could always hear her crying at night. I sometimes _felt_ like crying, but I knew I had to be strong. If she saw that my eyes were red, she'd know that I was upset too. My staying calm was the only thing that kept us from losing it. That was what being an older sister meant.

Living with Joseph and Lizzy wouldn't be bad. They were really nice, both of them and very understanding. They said I could have the parlor room in their house as my bedroom since I wasn't good with stairs. Luckily they had a bathtub on their ground floor, so I could use that too.

"It looks so...green..." Mary said. "And wet. I heard that it rains all the time here..."

I could hear the rain too. It was distant, but there was a pouring sound.

Finally the car came to a stop and the driver helped us out. Mr. Stewart, our driver and also our caretaker had been instructed to bring us here. Joseph and Lizzy called to us from the doorway.

"Well well well!" Lizzy cried, running forward, and crashing into me. She almost knocked me over but then caught me in time. She sounded quite happy, but I knew that it was just an act. She wasn't happy about our parents' death either.

Lizzy guided us to the doorway. Joseph greeted all three of us with a kiss on the cheek. Well, maybe not Lizzy. Although they lived together in a brother-sister fashion, they were actually also dating. See, both of them were adopted, so neither of them were technically related to me. I wouldn't mind their relationship though since they were both mature adults and if they ever decided to get married, I had a feeling that their relationship would last a while because they knew each other so well.

"How's the house?" I asked Mary.

"I like it," Mary replied. "It's really pretty. I just don't like the weather here..." she added.

"It's always like that here," Joseph said. "Better get used to it, Munchy."

Munchy was Mary's official family nickname. I was the only one that didn't call her that. I didn't have a single nickname though.

"What do you think, Charlotte?"

"It's alright, I guess," I shrugged.

"Oh, right! I forgot!" Joseph said, and then he opened the door. "Well, welcome to your new home!"

I stepped inside into the warmer atmosphere. It had been rather chilly outside, but that was probably due to the lack of sunshine. That, and the fact that it was April and spring was kind of late here.

Lizzy led me to the parlor and then sat me down on my new bed. "I hope it's comfy," she said. "It used to be mom and dad's old bed..."

"It's fine," I said, recognizing the smell of Aunt Libba's perfume on the mattress.

"We had special bars put on the window, just in case there are any burglars or anything so you'll be safe," Lizzy said. "And there's an alarm button right under your nightstand to your left. Just press it and it'll wake us all up and call the police."

I nodded. They had really taken precautions around this place.

"How many people live here?" I asked.

"Around 2000-3000 I think," Lizzy said. "Used to be more, but many people've moved once they graduated high school."

"Which school will I be going to?"

Lizzy sighed. "The only one there is. Forks High School."

"But-" I started, but then she placed a finger to my lips.

"Listen Charlotte, I'm sorry about that. There _is_ a school in Port Angeles but it's too far away to drive you there and since you're still fifteen and there are no other relatives nearby, we're afraid that you'll _have_ to stay here with us."

I sighed and nodded, knowing that I would have to accept it.

"But they have books though."

"The school bought me copies?"

"We told them you were coming and so they did. In every subject. And they've also agreed to overlook your gym credit."

"Did you sign me up for art though?" I asked.

"Oh, you wanted to go? I'm so sorry, we only signed you up for the basic courses," Lizzy said.

"No, it's...alright..." I said, knowing that it wasn't. Art was...a good subject for me. It was the only one where I felt somewhat special.

Lizzy left me alone after that, and I got settled in. I made sure to remember where I put everything, including the shampoo bottles and so forth.

Then I went to sleep and prayed that everything would be alright. School, my new life, everything.

* * *

**Ok, that was the first chapter, and I know that not a lot happened but I promise that it'll get better in the next few chapters when I finally get around to introducing more people. In the next chapter, our protagonist Charlotte will be going to school.**

**Please tell me what you think. :3**


	3. Forks High School

The next morning I woke up to the smell of fresh bacon. I had no idea that people in Forks woke up so early. Or maybe that was just Lizzy and Joseph. I stumbled around a while until I found my clothes and then I got dressed, hoping that I looked presentable and grabbed my bag. I still wasn't sure where the bathroom was, so I arrived in the kitchen before the bathroom.

"Um good morning and excuse me," I said, stifling a yawn. "But can you please show me where th bathroom is?"

Lizzy took me through to the bathroom again, and this time she made sure I knew where it was.

"I take a left out of my bedroom, and then go straight down the hall," I recited before she left me alone.

After brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I made my way to the kitchen again, using my nose as the indicator. Lizzy served me some bacon and eggs, a typical American breakfast.

Afterwards, Lizzy volunteered to drive me to school.

"Where's Mary?" I thought to ask, only when we were on the road.

"Still asleep," Lizzy replied from beside me. "It's only 7:00 AM Charlotte, and your school starts at 8:00 AM."

_That early_? I wondered. But then again, time didn't matter much to me.

Finally Lizzy stopped and then she took my hand and led me down a grassy path.

"Where are we going?" I asked, wondering why we were still outside.

"The school is a series of different two-storey buildings but don't worry, all of your classes are on the first floor," Lizzy explained. "Right now we're going to the main office."

I nodded and just followed her lead.

We reached the office and there Lizzy talked over a few things with one of the secretaries and then she tucked me forward out of the hard chair I was sitting on.

"Miss Charlotte Blyth," a happy sounding secretary, Mrs. Dublin (as I later found out) called. "I suppose you're ready. Here on the counter we've already prepared your books..."

"Thanks," I grunted as Lizzy helped me tuck them into my bag.

Mrs. Dublin tied something on my wrist, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"It's a mapping device," Mrs. Dublin said. "I know that you will most likely remember your own way around easily, but until then please wear it. It'll talk to you and guide you through the school grounds. Just click the side button and it'll turn on and figure out your location on our grounds."

It seemed to be a crafty little device, but it felt so uncomfortable. I tried to offer up a smile, but I'm sure that I must have failed.

"Thank you," I said and then I turned it on. I heard the door shut behind me, so I assumed that Lizzy must have left to go to work or something.

"_Good morning,_" the device greeted. "_Your first class is Geography. Please turn around and walk to the door, approximately five paces from your current location._"

I sighed heavily, thinking it was going to be a long day if I had to listen to that device and it's robotic female voice all day. I later nicknamed it Annoy.

* * *

I made it through first and second period without much progress. I didn't make any friends but from the moment I entered into each class, I felt all eyes were on me. I got a paper slip signed by the teacher, who then directed me to my desk. Geography and English passed by uneventfully. Then came lunch, and I felt an immense crowd around me as I sat down at the nearest table to eat lunch. Well, maybe it wasn't immense, but I felt crowded.

"Um excuse me, who said you could sit here?" an arrogant voice called over to me.

"I-I'm sorry," I said, getting up, although I didn't know where else to sit. I'd just picked the closest table I could find.

The girl said nothing else for a time, then I heard a few whispers and a gasp.

"I-I'm sorry about that, I-I didn't see..." the girl apologized. "I'm Britney by the way, Junior. I'm Captain of the Cheer-leading Squad and I didn't know that you were...a new student," she said after a slight pause.

I nodded, knowing what she meant. "Yeah," I said. "I figured. But you don't have to let me sit with you. I mean, I could always move-"

"N-no, you can stay," Britney assured me, holding onto my hand as I tried to get up. "You can hang with us, it's ok. Beside you on your right is Kim, and beside her is Jasmine and then to my left is Dion. We're all the top rank cheer-leaders in this school."

"I didn't know that Forks High School _had_ a cheer-leading squad," I said, after getting comfortable sitting down with them. "It seems like such a small school and..."

"Yeah we know," Kim, on my right, said. "But we have a lot of away games since our team is pretty good. The Cullens occasionally play sometimes."

"Who?" I asked, not sure in the slightest who they were talking about.

"Oh, they're sitting all the way on the other end of the caf," Britney said. "There's Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward, Bella and Adrian. They all kind of keep to themselves though and they're _really_ gorgeous."

"Emmett and Rosalie are a 'thing'." I think it was Jasmine who said that. "So are Alice and Jasper and Edward and Bella. Adrian's pretty much the only single one, but he doesn't really seem to want a girlfriend anytime soon," she added indignantly.

_Rejected,_ I thought, not really caring about that kind of stuff. Relationships just weren't for me, no matter how you looked at it. It just couldn't work out.

There are a pause and then Britney spoke again.

"You seem pretty calm about this. Doesn't the whole 'mysteriousness' of the Cullens make you want to know more?" she asked.

"Not really," I said, absentmindedly taking a bite of my sandwich. I was glad that these girls were nice to me, but all for the wrong reasons.

* * *

Next period was Science. My Annoy led me through to the Math & Science building and then also to room 104 which was my Science lab. The teacher, Mr. Robertson, signed my form and then sent me somewhere to sit down. I was beside someone, but I didn't know who. It just felt a bit cold all of a sudden.

"This will be a free work period," Mr. Robertson announced at the head of the classroom. "Everyone take out this week's study notes and start reading. I'll be back in half and hour with a few text questions."

The door shut and he was gone. Great. I was left alone with other teens who actually didn't end up studying but talked instead. I half expected to feel the stares again, but no one even looked at me in this class. Well, almost nobody. The person beside me seemed to be staring at me.

"Hey," he said. "So you're the new girl?"

From everyone besides Britney and her friends at lunch, he was the first person to talk to me. "Yes," I replied, not knowing what else to say. He clearly hadn't seen my face yet, because his voice seemed rather casual.

"I'm Adrian Cullen," he said and then he paused.

Adrian Cullen? So he was one of 'the' Cullens that Britney had made such a bit deal about at lunch? I didn't look into details about the Cullens but I at least remembered names.

"Charlotte Blyth," I replied, giving a slight nod, but keeping my head down.

"Are you also new to Forks?" he inquired.

His voice was cool and calm.

"Yes," I said, not intend on giving a big answer.

He said nothing for a while and then finally turned to face me again. There was a longer pause this time. I knew he must've seen me clearly now. I turned towards him just to make sure. No more pause this time.

"You're blind," he stated emotionless.

* * *

**Yes readers, Charlotte our main protagonist IS in fact blind, and for those of you who figured it out earlier, great job! Yes, she needs the map device because of that and she needs 'special' school textbooks in Braille and that's also why she really needs help when moving around and so forth and also why Britney and the other girls were nice to her and why everyone keeps staring at her.  
**

**More coming up next chapter, please tell me what you think! :3**


	4. Adrian's Reaction

It was about time he knew too. I couldn't see him, or his expression, but I wondered if he would treat me differently because of this. Britney and her friends clearly had, as did everyone else. He was quiet, probably waiting for me to say something.

"Yes," I replied, keeping my tone the same. I was used to hearing gasps and whispers around me when someone found out, but this was the first time someone had so pointedly told me, as if it was something I didn't know. I wasn't angry, but I _was _surprised. A part of me was curious to hear what he'd say next.

"Why are you here?" he continued after a pause. "Shouldn't you be in one of those blind schools or something?"

He tossed the word 'blind' around like it was nothing. Unlike everyone else, he didn't consider how that word would affect me. Luckily I didn't mind it. I knew what I was.

"There isn't one in forks," I said, keeping my face to him.

Adrian chuckled. "No, there isn't one. I suppose you were forced here then. But why come to Forks in the first place?"

Although I wasn't uncomfortable discussing my blindness with anyone, I _was_ hurt at the thought of the death of my parents, which was my reason for being here.

"Circumstances," I replied, keeping the answer vague.

Another pause, during which time I think he turned his head. I faced forward too, since my neck was starting to hurt. I couldn't see him anyway, so what should it matter if I was trying to be polite by keeping 'eye-contact'. My eyes didn't make a difference.

"How did it happen?" he asked.

"What?"

He turned his head again. "How did it happen? How did you get blind, what accident?"

I shook my head. "It wasn't an accident. I was born like this."

"Born blind?" I nodded. "That's kind of pitiful."

"You're quite direct," I observed, never having thought of myself as pitiful, although I knew others did. "And I'm used to it by now. I just need to get used to Forks and then I'll be alright. I usually am."

Adrian said nothing else, so I tried to think up something else to say, unsure if it was awkward or not. I somehow didn't like the silence between us. And also, his voice was so musical and I liked listening to it. It was just so...beautiful. Like I was listening to a song being sung and it was unlike any song in the entire world. Even as he said the word 'blind', it sounded better than if anyone else I'd known had said it.

"How is it in Forks anyway?" I asked. He looked at me again. "I mean, I don't know how long you've been here but maybe it's long enough to at least tell me some details."

Adrian didn't pause this time. "It's cloudy," he said. "So it's darker outside during the day. There's a lot of forest around here and not a lot of people live here anymore. Almost every teacher in this high school apparently moved out of Forks a few years ago."

"How long have you been here?" I asked, surprised at my own curiosity.

"Three years," he answered quite honestly. "I just landed up here out of no where and then...well then I just never left."

I chuckled. It was no where close to a laugh, but it was the closest I'd gotten to a smile in weeks. "So it grew on you?" I wondered out loud.

"In a way," he said, and I could sense that he was smiling.

I was suddenly curious to see what he looked like. If his voice sounded so beautiful, then surely it had to match with what he looked like. I suppose it was only a temporary thought because after all, I'd never even seen my own reflection or what my sister or my own parents looked like. I couldn't even imagine what he looked like since I had no idea what colours even were. Apparently all I saw was this thing called 'black' and sometimes when it was lighter, it became 'brown'. I recognized the world by sounds after all.

"How's the weather?" I asked.

"Raining," he said, still smiling.

I somehow wasn't surprised. Rain was kind of what I'd expected in Forks. I'd been told that it was actually a sort of rain forest in America. I didn't even know what a rain forest looked like, but apparently it had big snakes in it called anacondas. One of the interns at my old blind school told me that, but everything the guy said was a joke so I didn't believe him. Just to make sure though...

"Um, are there any snakes here?" I asked. "Anacondas or something?"

Adrian laughed and although it was quite and subdued, there was real humor behind it. "Of course there's not!" he laughed. "Just a few garden snakes maybe."

I nodded. "Oh."

There was a longer pause this time, and once or twice I suspected that he'd left. I couldn't even hear breathing beside me. Then after a longer time, he spoke again.

"I could always take you on a small tour of Forks if you're interested," he said.

Didn't Britney said that the Cullens kept to themselves? Adrian was being friendly for someone who was mean to 'keep to himself'. Maybe it was out of plain curiosity or the need to get to know my new town for the next few years, but I agreed.

"Sure," I said. "When?"

"After school if you've got no plans."

"I haven't," I replied. "I'll just have to tell my guardians where I'll be, but they said they'd pick me up."

"Good, you can tell them then," Adrian said and then he remained silent for the rest of the period. I sensed everyone else's eyes on us though.

* * *

**Well there's another chapter gone by and in this one I've revealed a little more about Adrian's personality. So, he's kind of like Emmett (and this may be taken from the fact that Emmett's my favourite Cullen guy) but anyways Adrian's pretty open and whatnot. Is this only for Charlotte or is he always like this? I bet you're wondering if Charlotte could see expressions if this would be easier to follow. Well, that's what makes this story interesting.**

**This story will involve a lot of dialogue but I'll get to more descriptions later in the story. I'm sorry that you don't know what any of my OCs, including Charlotte even LOOK like yet, but you will. Luckily, a lot of the characters are already well known so you can imagine the other Cullens just fine. **

**Also, there will be further explanations about people moving out of Forks but the intention for my doing that was so that I could get the Cullens back into high school without anyone noticing that they were already there before. It like they just 'moved back' or something.**

**Another chapter coming soon so please tell me that you think in a review! :3**


	5. Blindness

The day passed by quicker than I thought and Adrian and I talked some more fourth period, since we also shared that class. He tried to keep it as casual as possible, without mentioning things that I'd have to 'see' to get. His company made me feel a bit better about my circumstances. The only uncomfortable thing during this was that I felt that everywhere I looked, people would be staring at me, or rather at _us_. Adrian probably noticed, but his manner didn't change.

He helped me over to the parking lot and managed to figure out how to shut off my watch.

"It must be annoying hearing a robotic voice all day," he commented, sounding more annoyed than I actually felt.

"Charlotte?" I heard a familiar Lizzy call me.

"Lizzy?" I called back, extending my hand forward, willing her to come to me so I could talk to her. I felt a familiar hand clasp around mine. "This is Adrian Cullen," I said, not bothering to gesture since all I knew was that he was close behind me. "He said he wants to give me a tour of Forks so..."

Lizzy hesitated and didn't say anything. "Er...well..." she sounded uncomfortable, as if debating what to say. "We really hoped that we'd catch you at home today," she said, but I sensed it was a lie. "Mary misses you too," she added.

_Mary_. I'd almost forgotten about her. She needed me to be with her right now, and leaving her alone with just Lizzy and Joseph would surely make her cry. She needed the support way more than I did.

I turned around, my only indication that Adrian was still there was the sound of his breathing. "I'm sorry but I think I should go," I said. "M-my sister will probably end up bawling if I don't get home."

He made some sort of movement and then paused. "Yes," he said at last. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

I tried again at a smile. "Of course."

Lizzy walked me over to the car and helped me inside. I buckled my seat belt and then we drove off.

"Why did you lie?" I asked.

"I wasn't lying!" she answered rather hastily. "Mary really did miss you..."

"Not that," I said. "The first part about wanting me home today. You never had any plans like that. And Joseph's at work today, isn't he?"

Lizzy gulped, and then didn't say anything for a time. I was patient though.

"Charlotte, I don't think you should be seeing that boy," she said at last.

"Why not?"

"H-he's looks rather strong and not all that trustworthy, and certainly not a nice decent boy by all accounts," Lizzy said, genuine concern in her voice. "Of course I don't blame you for not seeing this, but mightn't you have sensed it?"

"He's quite nice from what I gathered," I mumbled. "I can _hear _him just fine!"

Lizzy sucked in a breath, unprepared for the sharp response I gave her.

"Charlotte, he looks like trouble. There's something about him that just...isn't natural."

"No wonder we'd be good friends then," I snapped, getting frustrated. I knew what she was getting at without her even saying it and for the first time in my life it bothered me that I was being degraded because of my disability.

What Lizzy was basically saying was that I could hang around Adrian, or maybe _anyone_ for that matter because of what I was. I couldn't tell a serial killer even if he was directly in front of me with a knife just inches away from my eye. That was what Lizzy knew, but I never suspected her to look down on me for it.

It was kind of unavoidable though.

"Please," Lizzy said, half-pleading with me. "Promise me you won't go anywhere with him without permission."

I wasn't promising anything. I didn't say a thing to her, too pissed off to care about her reaction.

* * *

"Charlotte!" I heard Mary's exclamation the moment I walked into the house.

She rammed against me, hugging my waist. I wasn't braced of course so I would have fallen over, but the wall behind me caught me just in time. I did hit my head though.

"Ow," I muttered.

"Sorry!" Mary apologized, sounding like she was about to cry.

I reached out for her, and she gave me her hand. I moved it up to her head and gave her an affectionate rub. "Don't worry about it. How's your day been?"

Mary drew circles across my palm. "Everyone was very nice. There weren't a lot of kids though..."

I'd kinda figured. Adrian had told me that there weren't a lot of people in Forks anymore.

"Did you make any friends?"

Mary put my finger to her lips, to let me know that she was smiling. I felt a slight pang at my heart, knowing that she was still capable of smiling. I think this was the first time I felt her smile since our parents...left.

"The girls were very nice, but the boys weren't..." I felt her frown.

"Tell me all about it..." I said.

"At the dinner table," Lizzy laughed, coming from behind me. "And Charlotte, I've set up a computer system in your room just in front of your bed."

I nodded and went over to my room, remembering my way through the house. This time I got my directions right, although I did crash into the wall a few times and almost tripped over one of Mary's dolls. I put my hands down on the keyboard, satisfied to feel the familiar Braille keys beneath my fingers. I also felt around and found headphones as well.

"Perfect," I murmured, sitting down and punching the keys I knew so well, although I figured that the computer wasn't even on. But it always relaxed me to write a bit, even if it was for homework, because it was at least a way for me to _see_ and feel like I was not completely handicapped.

Later on I went and talked to Mary about her school day, and I was interested in every detail she relayed back to me. She described everything to me using colours, words like 'pretty' and even though I didn't know what it looked like, at least I could define it. I listened intently and then kissed her goodnight. I'm not sure if I slept long or not. It wouldn't make a difference either way.

* * *

**I hope you liked that chapter and I promise that the next one will be better! Please tell me what you think! :3**


	6. Charlotte's Doubt Adrian's Interest

The next morning I woke up and ate breakfast as usual. This morning it smelled like bacon and toast, an unlikely combination. Wasn't it supposed to be toast and jam or bacon and eggs? Lizzy and Joseph, as I later found out, liked to do a lot of things out of order.

The moment I stepped outside, I smelled rain. It wasn't raining, but it had rained overnight. I smelled a lot of vegetation as well and this served to further clarify where I was.

Suffice to say that the rest of the day was unimportant until lunch. Again I sat down at a random table, and luckily it was Britney and her friends who came over to me first.

"Hey girl!" Britney said in a friendly voice, as if we'd been friends all our lives. "How's it going?!"

"Fine?" I answered, confused at her boldness. Why was she being so nice to me? I mean, she was nice to me the day before when she saw that I was blind but today she was slightly different. Just too friendly and seeming almost..._eager_.

"Did you enjoy the rest of school yesterday?" she continued, oblivious to my confusion.

"I guess so," I said, through a slight mouthful of the sandwich I was eating.

"And were your classmates nice?" she asked.

I turned my head to her, although it didn't make a difference. It was more or less so that she could know that my attention was on her now.

"Why do you ask?" I asked her, keeping my face serious. I don't know how her face looked at seeing me face her head on, but I sensed that she was getting slightly uncomfortable.

"Nothing, I...no, _we_ just saw you strolling around with a friend to fourth period yesterday, and we were curious..."

"Who?" I asked, playing dumb. I could already sense who she was going to bring up. I wondered for a split second if she was making the same assumption Lizzy had the other day.

"Well um...Adrian Cullen," one of her friends, I forget who, interrupted. "You see, the Cullens don't really hang out with people who aren't in their family so we were a bit shocked when we saw Adrian with someone else."

The way she said 'someone else' almost presented a hint of jealousy in her tone. Not that I could tell, but it seemed that apparently Adrian was good looking and was well liked by the girls. Maybe all the Cullens were for all that I knew. Suddenly it had grown quiet around the table, clarifying that Adrian _was_ in fact a girl-magnet. I already pinpointed that perhaps he'd rejected all of them. It was a growing temptation to ask him about that next period, if only for comic relief.

"What about him?" I asked, putting my head down and casually taking another bite of my sandwich. How this conversation had shifted so quickly to Adrian suddenly made me really aware of how these girls' friendship could easily waver.

"Was he nice to you?" Britney asked, false concern in her voice.

"Exceedingly," I muttered, rolling my eyes. I'm pretty sure I did anyway, but I'm not sure who saw.

Suddenly there were a few whispers across the table, but I didn't let them affect me. I continued eating my sandwich casually, not letting them know that I'd heard what they said about me. How they could say it almost to my face was beyond me. Just because I couldn't _see_ them, didn't mean that I couldn't _hear_ them just fine. Their words did little to anger me, but it did sting a bit hearing them.

"Must be because she's blind," a girl whispered in a low voice that not everyone at the table heard.

"Yeah," responded the girl next to her. "There's no other way he'd be nice to anyone, especially if she's not a looker."

I held my breath at the last comment, and just barely swallowed my sandwich. What had they just said? The first part didn't bother me, but the second part did, although I didn't show it.

Had they just implied that I wasn't pretty? They had _no idea_ just how much that hurt. Even if I was blind, I was still a girl and I did care about what I looked like. I'd never even seen myself once though, so I couldn't tell if I was even decent looking or not. For all I knew, I could be hideous. I could feel my face just fine, but it wasn't enough to paint myself an image. What if I _was_ bad looking? It hurt having to hear that from people I'd just barely met. I wanted to leave, only what would be my excuse?

"Hey," a musical voice from behind me said. "Mind if I take her for a while?"

I recognized him immediately, both by that unique smell of his but mostly his voice and also...by his uneven breathing. Even the day before his breathing had been uneven, only I hadn't noticed as much.

"U-um...sure." Britney sounded embarrassed.

I was about to stand up, but then Adrian grabbed my arm and pulled me away. His touch was...so cold. Almost like ice, so it made me shiver. Adrian showed no recognition of this.

"W-wait, my lunch..." I tried, but we were already outside.

"I have it," he assured me.

We walked on for a while, though I'm not sure where or how far, but then he finally sat me down on a wooden bench of some sort.

"Here," he said, putting my lunchbox in my hands.

"Thanks," I said, though I'd much lost my appetite. "What's up?"

"I thought that I'd be better company for you," he said in a friendly voice, but then it changed to something bitter. "And also I thought it best to get you away from those pricks."

I snorted, never having heard girls called pricks before.

"It's fine," I said. "I'm used to people being nice to me because..." I bit my lip, remembering their last comment about my looks.

Adrian sat down next to me. "Yeah, I know, but that's not why I'm around you. Not fully anyway."

I paused. "Then why...?"

"Because I'm more or less interested in _you_ as a person," he said. "And what they said about you isn't true."

"About what?" I asked, wondering how he could possibly know.

"You're not bad-looking, Charlotte," he said.

It was a simple comment, but it made me smile. It made my heart flutter and my spirits rise. It was the first compliment I think I'd ever gotten. More than that, it was the very first time I'd gotten _any_ indication about what I looked like.

"R-really?" I asked, wishing I knew.

"Yeah. I know you probably don't know this, but most people would actually call you pretty."

I smile widened. "Thanks," I said. I didn't mind, even if he was just saying that to be nice. There was no hint of a lie in his voice though...some people were just good at lying, I suppose. "Though I doubt that I'm very interesting as a person," I added.

He sniffed. "You wanna bet? Let's take this for example: I'm still curious to know why you're here. And I don't mean here in Forks, but _here_ at this high school. Even if it's required by law, no one's actually going to come all the way out here to check that one blind girl is in high school, and not even a decent high school at that! And I personally don't think that it's even fair making you go to a public school like this. Wouldn't you prefer a blind school where you can communicate with blind people?"

I was amazed at how he tossed the word 'blind' around so casually, as if he used it all his life. I didn't mind it per say, but it was highly irregular for me to hear.

"I don't really know," I said. "I never had a preference for schools."

"Wouldn't a blind school suit you more though?"

"I don't know."

"Doesn't it feel better having people like you around you though?"

"What do you mean 'people like me'? Aren't I human too?"

"Yeah, but if I was blind, I'd find it unnerving to be around people who can see. Aren't you afraid that people might take advantage of you?"

"They never have."

"But I'm saying 'what if'?"

"What are you implying here?" I challenged. "Why would anyone take advantage of me? A _blind person_ doesn't exactly have too many redeeming qualities that would be of help to anyone."

"Fine then, let's assume the worst. What if someone attacked you?"

I paused, never having thought of that. "I don't know."

"Don't you have opinions on anything?" he was starting to grow irritated.

"I do, just not a lot to do with my blindness. I don't think about it everyday you know! I've kind of..." I whispered the last part. "I've just gotten used to it."

"What about Forks then?"

"What about it?"

"Do you like it here in Forks?"

I took in a breath. "I have nowhere else to go."

"I get that, but do you _like_ it?"

"I can't see it so it doesn't matter to me," I snapped, confused at why he was asking me so many questions.

Adrian sighed, as exhausted from asking all these questions, as I was at answering them.

"I just don't get you..." he said at last.

"Then don't try," I said calmly. I'd regained my composure a little and although I wasn't angry, I was annoyed at how Adrian kept prying into things about me. And everything he said seemed in one way or another to revolve around my blindness. Why did that bother him so much anyway?

For whatever reason, Adrian didn't talk to me later that day. He guided me to our classroom after I finished eating, not seeming intent on leaving me with Britney and her pals again. Then without saying anything, he also took me to our fourth period class. I knew it was him because of the cold touch. Then at the end of the day, he escorted me back to Lizzy, this time taking me directly to her car. Then he left without a word.

This time Lizzy didn't make any comments. Just drove me home quietly.

* * *

**Adrians' P.O.V**

"Hanging around the new girl a bit much, aren't you?"

I glared up at Rosalie, who was sitting smugly beside Emmett on the couch. They didn't have to tell me, since I knew that they were all interested in my recent actions with the new girl, Charlotte.

"Only two days have passed Rose," Emmett laughed. But then he gave me a skeptical look too. "But seriously dude, chill out. Why you so obsessed with her?"

"Wha-"

"Edward's been reading your mind, and he can tell that you're thinking about her," Alice said, emerging from the second floor with Jasper right behind her. "A lot of your thoughts relate to her being blind though."

I sighed. "Besides Edward, who'd find out anyway about why, none of you need to know why, got it?" I snapped.

Edward came from behind me, and put his hand on my shoulder. Since I wasn't past the newborn phase completely, I recoiled back.

"Just calm down," he said, sympathy written in his eyes. "I get why. And I admit that I was losing my patience earlier too after what those girls said about her."

"Oh right, thanks for reminding me," I said, since I'd just barely forgotten that.

Edward shook his head. "Come with me," he said, and we both ran outside and out of earshot of the rest of the family.

"I know why," Edward said slowly, carefully. "Only you're still coming on too strong with your reasoning, Adrian. Don't forget that she barely knows you."

"Yeah I know," I muttered. "But _still_ I just..."

"I know what you're planning on doing if you get the right reaction out of her," Edward said, a threat in his voice. "Put it out of your head."

My whole frame shook. I was getting pissed. "But _why_ Edward?! I can help her and...!"

"It's not your business to interfere," he said, using his voice of reason which I recognized well. "But these feelings you harbor for her are only pity and they'll wear off, with time. She's not a part of your life, and you shouldn't try to make her a part of it. Don't forget what you are."

"I-"

"Don't forget that we're only letting you around humans at all since you can take away your own sense of smell," Edward said, reminding me of an unnecessary fact. "None of us want her too close. If she finds out..."

I sniffed. "She can't even _see_ Edward! She won't detect what we are easily."

"Easily," he repeated, an edge on his voice. "But she may be sharper than you think. She's already figured out that your breathing's not natural, and you've made your cold touch rather obvious." He seemed displeased at the last bit.

I sighed. Since I was a vampire now, I didn't need air anymore. Pretend-breathing wasn't an easy thing to master though, especially when my thoughts weren't always focused on this.

"Edward...Bella was human too," I said, using it as my last resort.

Edward's face molded into a look of pure sympathy and even a bit of pain.

"She was always different," he said at last, finding no better argument.

Then as he started to leave, I figured that the conversation was over, but then he stopped.

"Adrian, don't think about it," he said, but he knew as well as I did that I wasn't giving up. I almost felt like Charlotte was...my responsibility.

* * *

**In this chapter, I've given everyone a bit more insight into how Charlotte feels about her blindness, and of course I've added in a bit of Adrian's thoughts as well. As to why Adrian cares so much about Charlotte's blindness, you'll have to wait to find out! And you'll also have to wait to figure out what Adrian wants to do, but most of you can probably guess.**

**Please tell me what you think! :3**


	7. Charlotte's Introduction

About a week passed by uneventfully. After the day I had kind of lost it with Adrian and all his questions, he didn't ask me any more questions. I didn't even sense an air of curiosity around him anymore. I was actually sort of thankful that he seemed to have let go of the whole subject about my being blind. The same could not be said for everyone else.

Britney and her friends let me sit at their table, but I could sense an aura of hate around their intentions. They were mad about something, probably about my hanging around Adrian, and they had no problems showing me that they didn't like me because of it. Well, they didn't _show_ me per say, but I could feel them glaring at me and whispering behind my back, or rather in front of my face.

At the end of my second official week in Forks, Adrian surprised me by meeting me outside of the cafeteria before lunch.

"Hey," he said, although I knew it was him by the cool touch on my arm.

"Hello," I replied, reaching my hand out for the door handle. I no longer wore the watch I'd been given from earlier, since I knew the grounds of the high school well enough. I'd even begun to know the way home, but that was only by driving of course. Outside of school or Lizzy and Joseph's back and front yards, I hadn't actually walked in Forks. I was still being babied.

"Where are you going to sit?" Adrian asked me.

I turned to him and tilted my head up so that he felt that I was looking at him.

"With Britney and the others," I replied, thinking that it should be obvious. Didn't I always sit with them?

"Nope," Adrian said, "not today. Today you'll be sitting with my family who may prove to be real friends to you. They've been wanting to meet you ever since day 1."

"I thought that your family's not sociable," I said, echoing the rumors that Britney had told me about. I instantly wished I could take back what I'd said. I didn't believe the rumors obviously, but I still _heard_ them.

"Well, you're an acception," Adrian said. "And if I hang out with you, that's good enough reason for them."

I shrugged, and allowed him to bring me over to his table. I felt the usual stares on my back.

"Everything, this is Charlotte," Adrian said, introducing me.

"Hey!" greeted one musical voice after another. It only took me ten minutes to distinguish between each of their musical voices, and learn all of their names. There was Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, Alice and Jasper.

"So, how are you liking Forks?" asked Alice.

"Well enough," I said. "It seems like a wet place."

Bella laughed. "Don't worry, I was pretty new here at one point too. I didn't like it that much at the beginning either."

"It's not that I don't like it," I said. "I mean, one place to me is the same as the next."

Silence. I felt like I'd just made it awkward. But surely they saw that I was blind, or knew about it from Adrian? None of them were as questioning as Adrian in any case. On the contrary, they just seemed to want to make conversation.

"You know, our dad's a doctor," Alice piped up after a while.

"Alice!" snapped Rosalie.

"What?!" Alice asked innocently. "He might know someone who can help her."

Another pause.

I cleared my throat. "You mean...with my eyes?"

Alice made some sort of movement. "Oh right!" she said. "Erm, I mean yes, maybe. Carlisle's a doctor and although he's not big in the field of eye-surgery, that might be all it takes to give you even a bit of sight."

"Alice!" Rosalie hissed, with a little too much bite.

I spoke before anyone else said anything. "I thank you for the suggestion Alice, but I doubt it will work on me. I was _born_ blind, so I'm not sure if eye-surgery applies to me. Besides, I can't afford it, and neither can my guardians."

"It's no problem," Edward said. "Money's nothing to us. We'll pay for it if..."

"Why?" I asked, not understanding any of them. I felt their eyes on me, but I couldn't tell their expressions. "I mean...you don't even know me..."

"We know," Emmett said in a casual manner. "But everyone's got a right to see, don't they?"

I paused. I'd honestly never thought about it before. I never felt reproachful towards God, or fate or whatever because I was born without my sight. I'd just grown so used to it, that I figured that it should always just be that way. There were few times when I wished I could actually see. Maybe it was better _not_ to see. What if I didn't like the sight?

"Emmett's got a point," Jasper pressed. "Everyone's got a right to that much at least. Fate's dealt you the wrong cards, but we can right it."

I paused and so did they, all waiting for my answer.

"Well, I suppose if I meet him..." I said.

But they didn't need to hear more. They invited me to their house that very day after school. After lunch I gave a phone call to my house and told Joseph that I was going with a few friends to meet their family. Joseph, unlike Lizzy, didn't hover over that fact and gave me permission to go.

"Tell Lizzy not to pick me up, please," I said, hoping that I wouldn't make her come to the school grounds for nothing. I didn't know how much she would approve what I was doing, but I partly didn't even care.

Although I repeatedly told myself to not let my hopes get too high, I couldn't help it. If there was a chance...even a small one, that I might get even a tenth of what was known as 'sight', then maybe I was willing to risk it. Just a bit...

* * *

At the end of the school day, I'm not sure if Lizzy was in the parking lot. The Cullens, all of them, urged me towards their cars and then argued over who would sit with me. In the end, I went in Emmett's jeep with Emmett, Adrian, Rosalie and Jasper. I sat in the back seat between Jasper and Adrian while Emmett drove. It seemed to me that he drove rather fast, but luckily I couldn't see just how fast. All I felt was the wind through my hair from the open window as we drove past.

Finally the jeep came to a stop, and the first thing I heard was birds. Wait, animals? Where exactly were we? I both sounded like and _smelled_ like a forest. Nearby was the fresh smell of grass, dirt, and a lot of pine.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Just in front of our house!" Emmett yelled excitedly.

"And where is your house?" I asked sarcastically. "In the middle of a forest?"

"Eh, just as the border of one, you could say," Adrian said, and he was being honest.

Emmett took a sniff and then growled. It wasn't a growl of anger, but one of excitement.

"Hey, they're here!" he called. Everyone except me seemed to understand what he meant.

Then with Adrian gripping my hand, he led me up some stairs and into their house.

* * *

**Seth's P.O.V.**

Jacob paced back and forth, waiting for Esme and Renesmee to come back from hunting. Renesmee had insisted that Jacob not accompany her this time, since she and Esme needed some grandmother-granddaughter bonding time before Edward and the others came back from school. Leah had insisted on going to the hunt too.

Not that I was complaining about any of this. Some quality me and Jake time was always pretty good.

"Relax," I said, stretching on one of the large couches in the Cullens' house.

Carlisle emerged from the upper level. He looked out the window, seeing something that we didn't.

"Everyone, welcome home!" he greeted.

I looked up, excited to see all of the vampires. I was actually hoping to hang out with Edward for a bit since I wasn't allowed to come to the Cullen household very often. Sam forbid it usually, but since Jacob was like an Alpha all his own, I was allowed when he came.

The Cullens all assembled swiftly into the room, but there was someone else with them, who looked quite human. She lifted her head and I instantly saw that she was blind. But something else was at work.

_Thump. Thump._

Like the thumping of a heart, I heard a noise. It grew louder and louder until it filled the entire room. Wait, the pounding was in _my ears_ and no one else's! No one else heard it, only me.

Suddenly everything around me seemed like it was a black hole and all I could see was the girl who'd just come in. All I could see was her pale complexion with rosy cheeks, her long mass of brown hair, her light blue but blind eyes.

I heard her every breath, even her every heartbeat. Every movement she made caused my heart to ache in one place or another.

Then suddenly it all stopped, and I felt at peace. More at peace than I'd ever felt before in my entire life. I felt as if my soul was no longer my own an that it just floated between the distance of me and the girl. Just lingered there, but it was happy. Suddenly I realized what was happening to me.

Oh my god, I'd imprinted...

* * *

**There we go, another chapter! I didn't describe it the same way Stephanie Meyer did, but I hope that my description was just as good. I hope that this chapter has made things a bit more interesting.**

**Please tell me what you think! :3**


	8. Carlisle's Family and Friends

I badly wanted to ask who was at the Cullens' house, but I thought that it might be rude. I would be introduced to everyone soon enough.

"Everyone, welcome home!" A mature yet musical voice greeted us. Was it another one of the Cullens? Probably, judging by the musical sound of it. I'd already made my opinion that no other family except the Cullens could carry that musical sound to their voices.

Adrian stepped forward first. "Hey Carlisle! This is Charlotte." He put his hand behind my back, bringing me forward a bit. "Charlotte, in front of you now is our adoptive dad, Carlisle."

"_Adoptive dad_?" I asked, as he took my hand and shook it. His touch was as cold as Adrian's. "So then, none of you guys are related?" I asked, bewildered at the thought. But they all sounded so similarly beautiful and I could bet that they all had a cold feel to them as well. How could all of them be so similar and yet...adopted? But at the same time, it all made sense. Hadn't Britney mentioned that Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, and Edward and Bella were a couple? That couldn't happen if they were actually siblings after all.

Carlisle chuckled. "We're not related at all, as a matter of fact. You see, my wife Esme and I aren't capable of having children. So we've decided to adopt instead."

It seemed like he was disclosing some very personal information, but the way that he said it in his tone of voice made it seem so general and casual, that I overlooked it almost right away.

"Oh yeah!" Adrian said, seeming to have remembered something. "Charlotte, we've got some visitors right now, but they're friends. Over to your right is Jacob, who's pretty much family as well and then on the couch to your right is Seth."

I had no idea who he was referring to, but I assumed that as long as they were family friends, I should be friendly to them.

"Pleased to meet you," I said, extending my hand out and expecting another cold touch. Oddly enough, I got the opposite. It felt like I'd just touched a heater.

"Hey, I'm Jacob," the one who shook my hand greeted. He sounded tall, since his voice came from directly above me. "And I'm kinda in the family since I'm with Nessie."

"Nessie?" I asked, confused.

"Ah, she's also adopted," Carlisle said. "Only she doesn't go to Forks High School."

I nodded. She must be the oldest one then.

"And that's Seth," Jacob said cautiously. I actually didn't understand his tone of voice that much.

I tried to offer up what I felt was a smile. "Pleased to meet you too, Seth."

It felt like barely a second before he was shaking my hand too.

"Hi," was all he said, but I felt that Seth was taller than me as well.

"We're just kind of waiting around for a bit," Jacob said. "You could say we're crashing this place."

Someone grabbed my left hand. It was Adrian. I then realized that either Seth or Jacob was still holding onto my right hand. My left hand felt cold, and my right hand felt hot. It was an odd feeling, like I was experiencing both summer and winter at the same time.

"Listen Carlisle, about Charlotte's eyes..." Adrian said.

"Yes well, we'll have to take her to my office so I can get a better look," Carlisle said.

"Do you really think you can help me?" I said, trying to sound normal. I was both doubting and hoping at the same time.

Carlisle sounded calm at the next part, that it was almost impossible to know what he meant by what he said. "We'll see what we can do."

"If you can't, it's fine," I said, not trying to pressure them but trying to relieve them of any worry. "I'm used to this so..."

"Well, there's always hope," Carlisle insisted. "Bring her up Adrian."

Adrian pulled me away, and I felt the warm hold on my hand disappear. Suddenly I felt really cold. I figured that either Seth or Jacob was still in the room, only I was being taken up some stairs. I feared that I might fall backwards, but Adrian did a good job of balancing me.

I heard Edward say "I want to talk to you" and that was it before I was ushered into a room that felt amazingly bright.

* * *

**Seth's P.O.V.**

I followed Edward outside after Charlotte had been taken up to Carlisle's office.

"What is it?" I asked.

Edward turned to face me once we were outside. I wondered at the privacy.

"Seth, I know," he said simply.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion but by the look he was giving me, I could tell what he was talking about.

"Oh, yeah," I said, awkwardly scratching my head.

"You saw her condition Seth," Edward stated.

I nodded. "Yeah, I did. And?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"_Do_?!" I asked, not sure how to respond. "Well jeez Edward, give me some time, will you? I mean, this happened just right now on the spot and it's not like I planned for it!"

Edward nodded, understanding. "I see. But as soon as you decide, be sure to tell me." He paused. "As soon as you transform, then your whole pack will know."

I groaned. "Yeah. I'm not sure how Leah will react though..."

"There's nothing she can do about it," Edward said, and I'm not sure if it was meant as a reassurance. "And I only ask because I know that Adrian happens to have an interest in her as well."

I was shocked. "W-what?!"

Edward nodded. "Keep quiet about it though, because even I'm not supposed to know. Only..." he smiled sheepishly. "I can't help it."

I nodded, knowing how Edward's powers made it hard for him not to know pretty much everything with what was going on, and from different views as well. Sometimes I marveled how he didn't go insane at reading all those thoughts in his head, cause for me just hearing a few thoughts from my pack was irritating enough.

"If it comes down to taking sides, it'll be hard for me to choose," he said. "So just make sure that it doesn't happen."

"That _what_ doesn't happen?" I asked.

"That it doesn't come down to her or us having to choose between you."

"Edward, she's not a prize!" I spat, getting angry for a reason I didn't even know about. "Things aren't going to be decided on _votes_."

Edward shook his head. "I know only...don't forget Adrian's power."

I paused. Adrian's power?

"He can help her with her eyes, Seth," Edward said. "If things get too far, he might even..." But he couldn't even continue.

I turned away from him, suddenly wanting to leave but at the same time I felt a compelling urge to stay.

"Just give me time to figure this out," I said. "And I don't think I'll be turning for a while."

I walked away from the house, ignoring the strong pull back towards it. I needed time, even an hour at least, to figure out this new thing.

* * *

**In the next chapter, I'll be diving deeper into Charlotte's conversation with Carlisle and some other things as well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Please tell me what you think! :3**


	9. Seth's Decision

**Seth's P.O.V.**

It took more effort than I thought, dragging myself away from that house but finally I was in a meadow, by myself. I had to think things through for once. This was all so new and confusing to me. I knew that probably Sam or any of the others who'd already imprinted might be able to help me, but I didn't know how I could go around asking.

I didn't have any problems with sharing this with anyone, I mean, _eventually_ they'd find out anyway once I turned. But if I told one of them and _they_ turned, or they just blurted it out, the chances were high that Leah would find out. I didn't want her to find out because my big sis never did like the thought of me maturing too much. She'd nearly thrown a tantrum once I started to grow taller than her. Imagine her finding out about me _imprinting._

But it was more than that. She hated the very thought of imprinting, although at any point it may happen to her as well. Imprinting had been what took Sam away from her and kept him away for such a long time. She refused to ever want to imprint, although I thought of it as a way to heal her. If she could feel that way about someone other than Sam, and these new feelings would just be more _ fulfilling _ for her, then she'd forget all about that pain that she's been holding back.

But it's not her who just imprinted. It's me.

I heard a rustle in the nearby bushes and then Jake stepped out. Had he been coming after me the entire time?

"Hey," he said, sitting down on a rock next to me. "Why'd you leave?"

I sniffed. "Just had to think, Jake."

He shook his head. "You've imprinted," he said, stating it as a fact. It was the first time I heard it said out loud. It sounded so new...

"H-how did you know?!" I gasped. "I didn't even turn and..."

"The look on your face was enough," Jacob said with a smirk. "Don't forget that I imprinted too. But don't worry, that look only comes _when_ you imprint. So it'll be hard to guess as long as you don't turn."

I turned away from him, glad to know that it wouldn't be made obvious.

"Why keep it a secret though?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

I sighed. "Leah..."

Jake snorted. "What, her?"

"Don't laugh Jake!" I exclaimed, seeing that he was obviously amused. "She'll tear my head off if she finds out!"

"Don't you mean _when_?" Jacob said, shaking his head.

"She doesn't have to find out. As long as I don't turn-"

"How long can you keep that up for?" Jake asked. "You can only go so long before you feel the urge to just turn again."

"Then I won't think about it," I said.

"Good luck with that," Jake snorted. "It's hard _not_ to think about it."

"Then let's stick to the first idea."

"Ok then," Jake said, leaning back relaxed. "But you know, it's not something that's your fault, so she shouldn't get too pissed."

"Are you sure you know my sister?"

He shook his head. "You're right. You're dead, man."

I moaned. "I know, and there's nothing I can do about it! I didn't plan for this to happen!"

"Did you _want_it to happen?"

I leaned back too, just staring up at the sky. "I don't know, man. I guess it's best that it happened before I got feelings for someone else and started making trouble, but I don't know about _wanting _it per say. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later, so maybe this is best."

"Yeah and hey, it doesn't mean that you have to think of her in _that way_," Jake encouraged.

Now it was my turn to be amused. "Says the guy who married the girl he imprinted on."

Jake laughed, shaking his head. "Well, what're you gonna do?"

"I don't know," I said, thinking about my earlier conversation with Edward. "Turns out Adrian's got his eyes on her too."

"Really? That guy?! I thought the only thing that would amuse him is experimenting with his own powers, or maybe a good football game!"

"I guess that she's different. I certainly imprinted on someone special."

"That's...what we all say."

"It's still true."

"For you."

I faced him at last. "Hey, you here to encourage me or anger me?"

"Encourage," Jake said, holding his hands up in defense, but there was pure amusement in his eyes. "Just spend some time around her and get to know her first. It won't make a difference to you, but it might to her."

I took in a deep breath, knowing my decision before Jake even mentioned it.

I was going back alright. I couldn't stay away.

* * *

**Charlotte's P.O.V.**

"Where am I now?" I asked, wondering if I was squinting at the bright lights. They hurt my eyes just a bit, but then the next moment they were turned down a bit.

"My office. Lead her to a seat, Adrian," Carlisle instructed.

Adrian did as ordered and then I found myself sitting in a chair that reminded me of the hospital. With Carlisle being a doctor at all, it seemed to fit.

Suddenly I felt another light on my eyes, this one brighter than before.

"This is just a laser light," Carlisle said. "To test your reaction to light."

Merely a few seconds passed before the light was taken away from my eyes.

"Unresponsive to laser light," Carlisle said, and I heard someone scratching down some notes. Maybe it was Adrian? Whoever it was wrote quickly in any case.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"I started off by giving you a basic test that we give even to people with sight. If we decide to send you for an operation, then we'll be repeating these tests afterwards."

I nodded, although I didn't understand the significance much.

"Did I pass?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not. Your pupils didn't move at all."

I nodded again, feeling slightly hurt, although I knew that I sound't have expected any better.

Carlisle spent the next hour or so (according to Adrian) giving me a few more tests and also asking me questions. The tests went by quickly, but the questions took much longer. There was only one question in particular that no one had thought to ask me before.

"Have you ever had even a moment where it seemed to you that you have seen something? Anytime at all, it doesn't matter how long."

I shook my head. "No, it's always just been this thing that people call 'black'. Sometimes this thing called 'brown' but that's only when I'm facing the sun."

More scratching notes. Then we finished.

"That will be all, thank you Charlotte," Carlisle said, and I heard him standing up. I was unaware that he'd even bee sitting at all. The Cullen's were so quiet that I bet that normal people couldn't hear them move around at all. Carlisle could have been pacing all this time and I might not have been aware of it.

"Well, what's your diagnosis?" I asked, wondering if 'diagnosis' was the right word to use. If Carlisle noted any mistake, he didn't let me know it.

"Well, it's apparently blindness that's for sure, but your eyes are in no way damaged. Some people are really beyond help if they're been in a serious accident or some such thing. For you it's different, since you've never suffered any accident. For you it's as if someone's placed a cloth over your eyes from your moment of birth. It's still quite hard to determine whether or not an operation might help you."

"Oh," I said, for lack of anything else to say.

"But," Carlisle continued, not having finished, "any operation will in means hurt you, so it's acceptable for you to participate if you wish."

"Really?" I asked, rather more enthusiastic than I meant to be. "So then, I still might have a chance?"

"Perhaps so."

I smiled, happier than ever at hearing that I had a chance. Even a hundredth of a chance was better than what I thought I had up til now.

"For the matter of money, my family will supply that, and the only other thing we need is parent or guardian permission for you to take the operation."

I paused, considering my next words carefully. After all, I hadn't mentioned to anyone about my parents so no one out of my family knew.

"I'm living with my cousins, Lizzy and Joseph right now. Is it alright if they sign?"

"Haven't you any parents living with you right now?"

Carlisle said it kindly and with no intent to hurt me, but it stung just the same, more than knowing the fact that I was blind. I swallowed before saying the next thing.

"I haven't any parents. They...they're both dead now, so my cousins are my official guardians."

There, I said it, and admitting to the reality was more than I could bear. I felt tears in my eyes and then they came sliding down my cheeks.

Carlisle said nothing, but then I felt his cool hands, one on my back and the other holding my right hand.

"I'm sorry," he said, a true touch of pain and sympathy in his voice. He helped me up and then I felt myself in Adrian's grip again.

"Um hey, do you want a tissue?" he asked, as he guided me out of the office. We were in the hall now.

I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine." Then for comedy relief, I tried to laugh a bit but was unsuccessful. "At least now you know why I'm here in Forks."

He said nothing else and his silence was unnerving. Usually he'd make a comment or ask a question but this time he stayed silent. He took me down the stairs again, making sure I wouldn't fall.

"Hey," I heard a familiar voice call. It was Seth, I was pretty sure.

"Hey, what're you still doing here?" Adrian asked, a bit of his energy coming back.

"I just...didn't get to meet Charlotte properly, so I figured that we may as well get better acquainted."

I offered up another smile, not wanting to burden anyone with how I felt at the moment. A bit of socializing might be good for me.

"Sure Seth, that sounds great."

Currently, there were two problems in my life.

One, my parents were dead.

Two, I was blind.

The first problem I couldn't solve. It was impossible to bring my parents back no matter how much I tried. The only thing left to do was to move on and accept it. Making new friends might just be the way to do this. Seth was a good start. I could tell just by his voice that he was full of energy and always positive, kind of like the summer. The same could be said about Adrian, only he felt like winter because of his cold temperature.

Summer and winter. Maybe they were stepping stones to help me be happy again.

The second problem could probably be resolved. Sight would be such a new thing to me, that it was worth getting excited about. It was a new desire that was burning up inside of me.

"Should we go outside?" asked Seth. "She hasn't been to the river yet, right Adrian?"

"Right," Adrian replied and then rather reluctantly, I think, he handed me over to Seth who took my hand in his.

At his touch, I knew it was him who hadn't let go of my hand before. The same feel as before, and extremely warm. He led me outside, where it seemed like we would be alone.

* * *

**Ok, I hope this chapter is long enough, because it's clear that I need to make my chapters longer if readers want more and if I want to get through this story.**

**If I had it my way, then I'd make super long chapters starting with Chapter 1, only it's my experience that not as many people read a long first chapter as they will read a short one. So it's better to just build up. Baby steps, baby steps.**

**Anyway, please tell me what you think about this chapter and you can make the reviews as long as you like because I don't mind reading over them. :3**


	10. Relatable

Seth guided me outside and then I heard running water. It must've been the river. As we made our way down the stairs, I felt Seth watching me the whole time. It made me feel reassured somehow, and hoping that he wouldn't let me fall if I just so happened to trip.

"Thanks," I said, as we finally made it down. Then we both sat down somewhere near the river. The grass felt soft and dry. It was cloudy as usual, so I couldn't tell where the sun was.

Seth sat down next to me, but I felt as if his eyes never left me.

"So you're new to Forks, huh?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes I am."

"How are you liking it so far?"

I shrugged. "It's alright, I guess." _Is this going to be like a repeat of my conversation with Adrian?_

"You haven't been here long from what I've heard. Less than a month maybe?"

"Just about."

"How old are you?"

It was strange how all of these questions that he was asking me were normal; casual. He could clearly see that I was blind, from what I could tell. He kept staring at me, only I didn't feel like his stare was concentrated on my blindness. Something else, only I wasn't sure what.

"Fifteen," I replied.

"Woah me too!"

"Really?" I laughed, noting his obvious happiness. He seemed pleased by my company, although I didn't know why. Before, he spoke with caution but now there was definite joy in his voice. "Then why aren't you in any of my classes?"

He stopped laughing. "I guess you can say I'm sort of...home schooled?" He sounded more like he wasn't sure.

I sniffed and decided to lay back down on the grass. It was strangely warm though.

"I guess I should be," I said. "I used to be though."

"I heard," he said, his voice taking on a sad tone that I didn't understand. He sounded almost like he was in agony himself. "I'm sorry about your parents."

Out of all the people that I'd newly met in Forks, Seth was the first person to ever sound _truly_ sorry for me, besides maybe Carlisle. But his hurt exceeded Carlisle's, almost like it was his _own_ pain.

"I lost my dad too," he said. "Just a few years ago. I know how you feel."

I gasped, and sat up, hoping that I was facing him. This was the first I'd ever heard of someone else who was...like me in this sense.

"So...you don't have parents either?" I asked.

"I still have a mom," he said, almost apologetically. "Just not a dad."

"Well, I'm sorry..." I said, at a loss for words. "Were you close to your dad?"

Seth chuckled a bit, probably trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I was. Closer than my sister, that's for sure."

"You have a sister?" I asked, feeling closer and closer to him. He was the closest person I could relate to. At least it felt like that anyway.

"Yeah, her name's Leah. She's older than me, and a real bore most of the time." He laughed. "Kind of pessimistic, you could say."

"So make up for it by being the optimist?" I guessed.

"I guess you could say that."

I lay back down again, tired of sitting up. This time he lay down too. We waited a bit and I was the first to break the silence.

"So are you close to the Cullens?" I asked.

Seth laughed. "Yeah, they're like a second family. I'm closer to Edward more than anyone else."

"So you come here often?"

He paused. "Yeah. As often as I can. It's not always easy finding an excuse though."

"What do you mean?"

"See, I live on the Quileute reserve and that's a pretty fair distance from here. It's not like I could come and go as I please."

"What's a Quileute?" I asked, never having heard the term before.

"You mean you've never heard of us before?"

"Not really, sorry," I said. "I was only taught the strict basics. Reading, writing, math and a bit of geography. I never went in depth with learning histories, cultures or whatever."

"Well you should come on the reserve sometimes then," he mused. "We have bonfires almost every month and they tell great stories about our culture there. I don't know how, but each time it's a new one. Either that or they bring up one from a long time ago."

"A bonfire?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing. I wasn't really comfortable with fires. They were hot and I'd felt that sensation just from lighting a match once for my candle. The word 'fire' didn't suit well with me. Fire meant burning...and that scared me.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't want to sound completely pathetic just then, so I lied.

"I've never been to a bonfire before."

"I'll bring you to the next one, if you want."

I forced a smile. "Sure, that sounds great. Are the Cullens also coming?"

Another pause. Where my questions really that hard to answer? Adrian often paused when I asked him questions, Britney had when I asked her about the Cullens, and now even Seth. What was so perplexing about the Cullens anyway, besides their voices, probably their body temperatures, and their swift movements. Was there a secret that everyone knew, only I didn't? Did all of Forks know something that I didn't? It became quite unnerving.

"Sheesh, I get it!" I said, frowning. "It's not their thing."

"Huh? But I didn't even answer yet!"

"You don't have to," I sighed. "No one has to, only it seems to me that every time the Cullens are brought up, there's this complexity that I'm not _supposed_ to know about!"_  
_

"It's..." Seth paused again. "...not like that."

"I see. Never mind." I hated these pauses, but more so with Seth than anyone else. It didn't seem to suit him. I preferred his cheerfulness. Luckily it came back.

"What do you think of the Cullens?" he asked. He was asking personality-wise and that put me at ease. I had good answers at least.

"Name them off one by one and I'll try my best to answer."

"Ok, let's start with Carlisle."

"He seems very kind," I said honestly. "A good-hearted person, but I've barely met him."

"Esme?"

"Same thing."

"Rosalie?"

"Eh...she's ok. Maybe a bit _mean_ and _uncaring_ but I guess she might be a good person deep down inside. But I mean _really_ deep down."

He laughed at this and although it wasn't the musical laugh that the Cullens carried, it made me laugh too.

"Emmett?"

I grinned, or at least I hope I did properly. "He's great. Like the ideal brother. That's why Rosalie must be good deep down inside. He's too good to be with a bad person."

"True that. Alice then?"

"Like Alice in Wonderland," I replied instantly, recalling that it was one of the few books that I'd read. It was hard to visualize though.

"Jasper?"

"Quiet."

"Bella?"

"She's ok. Calm, I guess."

"Edward?"

I paused at this one, unsure what do describe Edward as.

"You said that you're closest to him, so you'd know him more, but from what I gathered, he's 'all-knowing' or something like that. He just seems to guess every word I mean to say before it comes out of my mouth, and he just seems to know things. He's always the first to say something, in any case."

Seth laughed again, only this time I didn't know why.

"Well, I guess that about finishes it," he said. "Oh wait! What about Adrian?"

His voice intensified near the end and got more serious. I suddenly wondered whether he had a grudge against Adrian or something.

"He's odd, but I like him," I confessed, keeping my head low. Suddenly I felt very awkward, talking about Adrian like that. The very thought of Adrian sent a chill through my body, only it wasn't one of fear. "He asks a lot of questions, kind of like you, but not really. He hasn't got that much optimism, but his energy challenges Emmett's head on! I guess you could say I'm closest to him from all the people I've met in Forks so far, and all of the Cullens."

When Seth didn't say anything, I continued, thinking that he wanted me to say more.

"And he's pretty helpful around school, when he's not being sarcastic, and I think he's a great person."

Seth said nothing, but I heard a deep growling from somewhere nearby. It sounded almost like a wolf-growl, based on what I remembered from a "Nature Sounds" CD that I'd once listened to.

"Seth."

We both turned, hearing Edward's cool voice. It was Edward alright. No one else had that one particular jingle by just saying one word.

"Jacob's getting ready to go," he said.

Seth stood up. "But what about...?"

"I'll take care of her. Go."

"Kay. Bye Charlotte!" He said my name with that same joy that I liked. He was pretty cheerful for a guy in the same position that I was in. How long ago did his dad die anyway?"

"Twelve years," Edward murmured.

"What?" I asked, standing up.

"Ah nothing, I was just wondering how long ago my family moved here."

"Oh." Another lie.

"Won't you sit down?"

Why so gentlemanly? Was this really a teenage guy? Even in blind school or in my old neighborhood, no one talked in the way the Cullens did. They seemed to be of another world entirely.

I sat down and Edward did the same.

"I hope no one's annoyed you," he said. He sounded like a hotel manager or something.

"No," I replied. "I enjoyed talking to Seth."

"Did you now?"

I nodded and then replied "Yes" since I didn't know if he saw that or not.

"I'm glad. We're good friends you know."

"I know." Why did this conversation sound so...formal?

"But Adrian's also my brother."

"I know that too."

"Well, I just wanted to ask what you thought about Seth, and Jacob although you haven't really talked to him."

"I think Jacob might be ok," I said, and the paused. "Is he also a Quileute."

"Yes."

"Well, I might talk to him another time then," I said. "But as for Seth..." I paused and this time a warm feeling came over my body instead of the chill from before. "I like him a lot."

"I guess you can relate to him," Edward mentioned, almost as if he was reading my mind. "He's lost a parent too."

"Yeah, but I'm glad he still has his mom. Besides that, I love that he's optimistic about everything. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to be like that after what happened." I was speaking openly about my parents' death, but I couldn't help it. Something just pushed me forward to trust Edward.

"I understand," he said. "Everyone in my family's parents are dead, so we all know how you feel."

"But you were adopted at a very young age," I mentioned, remembering what Britney had told me at the beginning of the year. "Carlisle and Esme practically _are _your parents, so it's the same thing. Even if they're not biological, you've come to think of them as parents from a young age so you've grown to love them and regard them as your real parents, right?"

"Yes, we did."

I sniffed. "So it's different for me. I'm pretty sure I can relate to Seth the most."

"I see." Another pause. "Well, I'll drive you home if you like."

"Actually, I'd rather do that!" Adrian called from behind us. Again, another Cullen appeared out of no where. Not a sound. "I've got my driver's license too."

Edward took my hand and pulled me up, and then handed me to Adrian. Adrian drove me home and we talked a bit. He asked me what I thought about his family and Seth, and I felt like I was repeating myself. Why did my opinion matter so much to these people anyway?

Adrian left me off at the doorstep. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked hopefully.

I laughed. "Of course. Tomorrow."

Then he surprised me by putting his arms around me, securely it seemed, and giving me a hug. I gasped, from the sheer contact of another human body against mine as well as the coolness of his body. My face felt very warm though.

"Um..."

He let go. "Ah sorry, that was uncalled for. Bye!"

He dashed off somewhere, leaving me alone. I turned and hurried into the house, keeping my hands to my face. Why did I feel so embarrassed?

As soon as I crossed the hallway though, I was greeted with screaming from a very angry Lizzy.

* * *

**New chapter coming out soon. Please tell me what you think in detail! :3**


	11. Adrian's PromiseSeth's Comfort

Unlike what I had expected, Lizzy calmed down afterwards as me and Joseph explained everything to her. I had a vague feeling that we were being watched, or that someone was overhearing our conversation, but that was probably just my imagination. I couldn't look anywhere to check anyways, so it didn't matter.

"And _that's_ why it's a good thing!" I concluded at last. I'd just finished telling both Joseph and Lizzy why I had gone over to see the Cullens that day.

Lizzy said nothing for a while and only stared into space. "Oh my god..." she breathed, putting her hands to her head. "And I was being so difficult about you hanging around that Cullen boy! Charlotte, you can hang around with him or any of the Cullens at any time, and what's more...please bring him over once for dinner. I..I need to apologize to him for how I acted..."

"I'm pretty sure he understands," I said, again getting curious at just how dangerous Adrian looked. I was actually curious on what dangerous in _itself_ looked like. I knew by my instincts what was dangerous or not and when I was around Adrian, I didn't feel much danger. I felt perfectly fine, same as always. Well...maybe not 100% the same...

"I'm tired now," I said, knowing that they wanted to ask the specific details of the surgery and so forth. Carlisle hadn't discussed the details yet as a matter of fact.

Luckily they let me go to sleep.

* * *

The next day Lizzy woke me up earlier than usual. I told her to leave me alone, because I felt _certain_ that it was just too early, but that's not what she woke me up about.

"It's that Cullen boy..." she said, sounding apologetic all of a sudden. "Adrian Cullen. He says he's come to pick you up for school."

I sat up in bed, shocked to hear that. "_Adrian's _here?!" I asked. I couldn't believe it. What would he be doing here this early in the morning?

Lizzy helped me to get dressed and then she ushered me outside, where apparently Adrian was waiting directly on the porch.

"Hey," he greeted, taking my hand and sitting me down on a chair.

"Good morning," I replied. "_Early_ morning that is!"

Adrian sighed. "I know, I know it's early, only I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important. I've got news for you from Carlisle."

My ears perked up. "What is it?"

"Your operation...it's a go for next week."

I'm fairly certain that I smiled and then Adrian laughed. "I knew you'd be happy to hear that!" he exclaimed.

"How can I not be?" I asked. "But how come so soon?"

"Carlisle got in touch with one of his friends from Seattle and the friend's agreed to do your operation next weekend. But you should know that he's never done eye surgery with someone who was born blind, so this'll be a first for him."

I shook my head, confused at how I wasn't getting discouraged. Had my hopes really risen that high?

"That's great!" I exclaimed. "And it won't matter. This is the closest I've ever come to having anything done on my eyes so...wait, will it hurt me?"

Adrian laughed. "Eye surgery doesn't hurt. And there's no way it could affect you because...well your eyes are as bad off as they'll ever be."

I guess you're right," I said, as he helped me into his car.

We drove to school and for some reason I could feel everyone staring. I was afraid to ask about it because I didn't want to know if it was true. I still felt how uncomfortable it was being stared at though. If Adrian minded it, he didn't say anything.

* * *

A few more days passed and then that weekend, I went over to his house again. Lizzy let me go much more willingly now. Adrian didn't say much about her rude behavior when they'd first met so I assumed that everyone was forgiven. It was at least a problem to put behind me. During that first dinner we shared, for some reason Mary left early and didn't even finish eating, which was odd. I got the feeling that maybe she didn't like Adrian but I didn't ask her why. Mary wasn't doing good with strangers ever since our parents' deaths and I explained that as well to Adrian to make up for her behavior. Adrian didn't mind that either.

As soon as I felt myself re-enter Adrian's house, I felt a wave of calmness come over me again. Again Carlisle was the first to greet us and then I also heard Seth who was there for some reason. I was happy to hear both of them though. Hearing Seth's voice made me feel happy and hearing Carlisle's voice was soothing. At first we talked a bit about the operation and I could feel that everyone around me was paying a lot of attention to this. Then Edward came into the room and asked to talk to Adrian. I was a bit sad to hear him leave. Then Carlisle also excused himself so I was left alone with Seth.

"So, think the operation will work?" he asked, but his voice was optimistic. It lifted my spirits to know that someone believed in the operation as much as I did...or at least as much as I wanted to.

"I hope so," I said. "And...even if it doesn't then I'm still not worse off."

Seth laughed a bit. "Charlotte you've...you've gotta think about this differently. I mean, you sound like you want to believe that it'll work, yet at the same time you're doubting yourself."

I smiled a bit weakly, surprised more than anything. Was I that easy to read or was it just Seth?

"I guess," I replied. "But it's just that..." I paused, not sure how much more I wanted to say. Seth seemed like someone I could tell things to but it hurt to say them just the same. "It's just that life's disappointed me so many times."

"What do you mean?"

I shrugged. "Well first off with my sight. I don't know what _anything_ looks like. I don't even know what I look like or what colours are or anything. I never even knew what my parents looked like...and now I never will. Doesn't that give me a-a bit of a right to be pessimistic and selfish?"

I could hardly believe what I was saying. It wasn't something I'd usually say and especially not so directly but Seth seemed to understand. Maybe not exactly but he'd also lost a parent. He could empathize with me. And even though he'd lost a parent he was taking it way better than I was. He was just...stronger that way...

"I-I'm sorry," I choked out. I felt as if I was on the verge of tears but I always refused to cry in front of someone else.

Seth reached over and put his hand over mine. "There's always the future," he said softly.

I managed a smile and squeezed his hand as a form of thanks. He made me feel better. Maybe that was why I could share these things with him so easily even though I barely knew him.

"You don't live in Forks, right?" I asked.

"No. I live on the La Push reserve."

"Can I come and visit you sometimes?"

It seemed like he cracked a smile. "Sure. I'll come pick you up myself if you want."

Suddenly his hand was off mine immediately and then I heard Adrian's voice, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Edward says everything's all set. We'll fly out tonight for the operation," he said.


	12. The Operation

I felt a shiver down my back again at hearing Adrian's voice only again it wasn't a shiver of fear or anything. It was something else that I couldn't pinpoint.

"Tonight?" I asked, willing myself to step forward towards Adrian. "How come that soon?"

"Carlisle's pretty fast at managing things," Adrian said.

I couldn't see what was going on but for some reason the air felt tense. I felt Seth's presence behind me and Adrian's in front of me. I was in the middle of them and for some reason I felt cornered.

"What about saying goodbye?" I asked.

"You can say goodbye when we go back to your house to pack," Adrian said.

I nodded. "What about to your family? I have to thank them regardless if..." I glanced towards Seth, remembering what he said about looking at things a different way. Putting the negative thoughts out of my head was probably a good idea. "I want to thank them," I said simply. "I mean, they're not all coming with us, are they?"

"No," Adrian said. "It'll be just me, you and Carlisle."

I nodded. Even though Carlisle was almost like a stranger to me, I felt safe around him and Adrian. Lizzy would have no objections either this time as the whole point of the trip was to try and help me.

"Can I see them?" I asked.

Adrian nodded. "Sure. They'll all upstairs. Edward'll guide you."

I hadn't even noticed that Edward was in the room with us. He was so quite and he hadn't said a word. But the next moment a cold hand clasped around my own and I was being helped up the stairs again. We were about to go up another flight when suddenly I heard Adrian's voice from downstairs.

"You've been hanging around here a lot lately," Adrian said, to Seth I think. "Where's Jacob and Nessie this time?"

"I came without them," Seth said and by his sarcastic tone it made me aware that he was stating the obvious.

I heard no more after that since Edward taking me further away from them.

"What did he mean by Seth coming around more lately?" I asked.

Beside me, I felt Edward tense up. "He's been coming to see me a lot more lately. Usually he'd come around occasionally with Jacob but it seems he's felt the need to talk to me more."

Another lie. Again Edward tensed up but I ignored him this time. I knew that something was off again, like all those times when I'd asked questions about the Cullens in general, but I didn't bother to ask. Edward hadn't answered my questions until now so I didn't expect anything from him as far as answers went. I wondered if maybe Adrian could tell me but he was the last person I wanted to bombard with questions. I didn't want to trouble Adrian, especially after he was already doing so much.

* * *

Adrian took me home after I'd said both my temporary goodbyes and thank yous to everyone. The last person I said goodbye to was Seth and again his hand lingered on mine when I stretched out my hand for a handshake. It didn't last long though since the next moment I was being pulled away by Adrian. We were soon in his car, driving off towards my house to pack. He was silent though and I wondered if that maybe had something to do with his earlier conversation with Seth. I wanted to know about it since I didn't want there to be any beef between them or anything, but then again it wasn't my business. Instead I went for a more casual question.

"How long will the operation take?" I asked.

"A few hours I think," Adrian answered casually, a bit of his friendliness seeping back into his voice. "But then you might have to miss about a week of school for your eyes to heal."

I nodded. I hadn't figured as much since I knew nothing about operations but doctors knew best. That's been proven to me many times.

"I hope Lizzy won't have another fit over it," he said, not doubt remembering what I'd told him about my earlier encounter with her before discussing the operation.

I shook my head, hoping that maybe he'd seen it. Although he was driving, I felt as if his eyes were focused solely on me. "No, she won't. She's already immensely grateful to you and now I think that she'd even trust you with my life. Lizzy's got a hard shell to break, but as soon as it's broken she becomes as trusting and as loving as a young puppy," I said. "She's taken a liking to you and your whole family after I told her about your intentions and I wasn't sugar-coating anything either. She's really a kind spirit."

"What if the operation doesn't work?" Adrian asked.

I froze. What he was telling me was exactly the opposite of what Seth was telling me. It was such an apparent contradiction that again I felt stuck in the middle. Seth had just barely succeeded in bringing me away from those thoughts but maybe Adrian's way was better. Rather than holding onto hope and ignoring everything negative like Seth had suggested, I should be prepared for the worst. Somehow it felt worse now than I thought it would. Seth gave me hope while Adrian gave me reality. Which should I listen to? Which did I _want_ to listen to?

"I don't know," I replied. "Then I guess I'll just keep living my life like I always have. It can't do anything to hurt me anyway," I said. "Nothing can hurt my eyes ever..."

Adrian suddenly slammed on the breaks and we came to an abrupt stop. I heard his fists clench around the steering wheel. It's a good thing I was wearing a seat belt.

"Charlotte...I _want_ you to see," Adrian said in a low voice. "I _want_ you to see and I don't think I've ever wanted anything as much, not even for myself."

I held in my breath, my heart pounding hard in my ears. "W-why? Why do you care...so much? Nothing will change if I don't get to see. I'll still be me and..."

"Charlotte." Now his hands were on my shoulders and I breathed again. I turned my heard towards him, again regretting that I didn't see him. "No matter what it takes, you _will_ see again. I promise."

I shook him off and turned away from him, not saying anything. He started the car up again and soon we were at my house.

_Don't lie_, I said. _If this operation doesn't work, then there's no hope._

* * *

The goodbyes to Lizzy and Joseph were short and sweet by Mary wasn't as agreeable. In the end she let me go but only if I promised and crossed my heart and hoped to die that I would come back home. By the way she went silent when Adrian suddenly came in the room, I could tell that she still didn't like him much.

The airplane ride was longer than I expected and the hours in the waiting room at the hospital were even longer. I'd never been this impatient in my life. But finally, the moment came. I was introduced to Carlisle's friend, Dr. Henry Rutherford and then I was asked a few questions again, similar to Carlisle's questions. I was then dressed up in some sort of hospital gown and put on a hospital bed. A shorter time passed and I grew more anxious. I was being wheeling in the operation room. Adrian held onto my hand and again I felt his eyes on me but I kept silent and just stared ahead into the blackness.

It would be starting. Something that I had never imagined or even_ could_ imagine. If the operation worked...no, supposing that it really _did_ work, then I'd be able to _see_. That one word 'see' was what I secretly longed for. I never voiced this longing since up until the point that I'd met Adrian it just seemed impossible. But now life was giving me this one chance and if the chance worked for me then I could see...colours...people...Adrian...Mary...Seth...th e Cullens...Lizzy...Joseph...everyone. But most importantly then I could finally see _myself_.

I held my breath as both Carlisle and Dr. Henry asked me if I was ready.

I gulped and only managed a nod before Adrian let go of my head and I was taken into the operating room.

* * *

**Seth's P.O.V.**

After Charlotte left, I went outside into the woods with Edward again. Lately I'd gotten used to walking on foot through the forest since I didn't dare turn ever since I met Charlotte. Leah still didn't know anything, although my continued absences from the pack were starting to make her suspicious. Jake didn't turn either (not that he needed to often with Nessie keeping him in check) so he didn't give anything away either. Still though, things were getting tense at home.

Meeting with Edward was only partly the reason I came. Out of all the Cullens, I felt that he was most on my side and now he and Jake were the only ones I could turn to. Edward could read people's minds and I often asked him what Charlotte thought...about me and about Adrian. To say that I was in love with the girl was an understatement; it was something deeper than that.

But right after she left with Adrian to pack for the operation, Edward took me outside with a much more serious look on his face. I had a feeling we weren't just going to talk about Charlotte's feelings and thoughts anymore.

"Seth, I haven't mentioned this too much, but you know that Adrian's power has to do with the senses, right?" Edward asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. He can give or take away his senses, right? Apparently he's taken away his own sense of smell so that he can be around humans, right?"

Edward sighed. "Yes and more than that, he can take away and _give_ senses to others as well. Do you get what I'm saying?"

As usual, my thoughts instantly turned to Charlotte and I gasped.

"Yes, he can help her," Edward said simply but this almost made me cave in. Adrian could give Charlotte her sight? That was something that I could never do...but wait, did he really make a difference?

I shook my head. "Yeah but it won't matter. Charlotte's going for the operation anyway and..."

"Alice had a vision," Edward continued and his jaw set in, his eyes colder than I'd ever seen them before. "She's not getting her sight back Seth. The operation can't help her."

The world around me went black as if _I _was the one who was blind. I felt miserable and willing to throw myself in front of a train just to stop the feeling. It was a terrible sinking feeling combined with a misery I never knew existed. Even when dad died I hadn't felt this horrible.

"S-so...s-she's staying blind?" the words barely escaped my mouth.

Edward nodded, a grim look on his face as well. "Yes."

"How long have you and Alice known?"

"Just since the time for the operation was decided. About an hour ago when Dr. Henry, the doctor performing the operation, called to confirm that the operation was a go."

I was angry now and even though Edward was my best friend, I was almost willing to try slashing at his throat. I'd have to turn first but my right fist was shaking so it was a temptation anyway.

"Why didn't you stop her from leaving then!?" I yelled.

"It wouldn't have done any good," Edward said in a rational voice, trying to calm me down. "Do you realize what that would've meant? Charlotte doesn't know what we are Seth and that would've been another sort of giveaway. She would've wondered how we just knew and it'd be even worse to make up an excuse for it."

No good. I was still shaking.

"So now she's going to that operation with _no idea_ that it won't work. Her last hopes are set on that operation Edward!"

"I know that," Edward said, echoing my sorrow. "But what's more than that, Adrian couldn't have known!"

I paused. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen what he intends to do Seth. Alice hasn't had a vision yet, but it's only a matter of time. Once he finds out that it's impossible for Charlotte to see again, he's going to give her sight himself. That'll expose all of us."

I turned away from him. "I don't care," I hissed.

"Yes you do," Edward said. This was the first time that his mind-reading annoyed me. "But even if he does give it to her, it can't be permanent. She'll have to be around him in order to have the sight that he gives her. She'll be almost _dependent _on him in a way. That's why when she comes back, she can't be left alone with Adrian."

I snorted. "I'm more than fine with that idea and I'll comfort her too. Only..." I turned back to Edward almost hopefully. "Does that mean you're on my side now?"

Edward nodded. "If it means fighting against exposing us to a human, then yes."


	13. Result

It was a few hours before I finally woke up from the operation. At first I couldn't see anything but then I realized that it was because a bandage was wrapped around my eyes. I knew that I was alone wherever I was so no one could see me, but somehow I hesitated to take it off. I was afraid, just a bit. What would I 'see'? What was seeing even like? Would I like it? Would I hate it? I didn't really know what it was to be afraid of anything like heights or spiders or whatnot because I didn't see them. All I was afraid of _was_ actually seeing. Would that bring on new fears? Seeing was so unknown to me that I couldn't even imagine it.

I finally made up my mind and was about to remove the bandage when I heard the door open and someone came inside.

"You're awake I see." It was Carlisle.

"Yes," I said.

"How do you feel?" asked Dr. Henry.

I shrugged. "Fine but I still can't see anything."

"So then...you're ok with that?" Dr. Henry sounded amazed.

I was confused. Ok with _what_?

"I'm not quite sure what you mean..." I said.

I hear Carlisle whisper something aside to Dr. Henry and usually I would have heard what it was but Carlisle spoke in such a low voice that I barely heard him. It was something about the bandage though.

Dr. Henry cleared his throat and then I felt his hands near my eyes and then I felt the bandage being lifted off my eyes. I was certain that my eyes were open and yet...I still couldn't see anything.

I turned in the direction that I'd last heard Carlisle's voice and then I forced myself to choke out the question.

"The operation didn't work...did it?"

It didn't take Carlisle's answer for anything to register in my mind. The operation hadn't worked...I was still as blind as before and couldn't see anything. Dr. Henry said nothing but then came back a few minutes later and did the light test again only I heard him say to Carlisle that my pupils or whatever still weren't reacting to the light _at all_. I knew what that meant. The operation hadn't helped even a bit and I was still as blind as ever.

At first I felt upset, more upset than I'd ever been before in my life. It almost compared to the pain of losing my parents. Only this was a new pain; it was the pain of knowing that I would _never_ be able to see. This operation had been my last and only chance and it failed. Dr. Henry was apparently the best eye surgeon in the world and even though he flew out specifically to work on my eyes, it'd all been useless. I wondered how much of a difference it made to him since he still got paid but he and Carlisle both sounded just as dismayed as I felt at the news.

But then a new feeling came over me, one that I wasn't really acquainted with. A sort of...relief. Wanting to see what only natural if you were blind but maybe that only counted for people who used to have sight. I'd never had it at all in the first place so what was I really missing out on? As long as I didn't know, it didn't hurt that much. It was a relief because I was still scared of the uncertain.

* * *

The goodbyes to Dr. Henry were short and sweet, followed by endless comforting on behalf of Adrian and Carlisle. I don't think they knew that I was listening, but Adrian and Carlisle had an argument when Adrian insisted that something more be done to give me back my sight. There was an 'or else' added in there, but I didn't quite catch that part because at that time a nurse caught me in the hallway and took me back to my room. And then in the end before I knew it, I was back in Forks with Adrian dropping me off back home and breaking the news to Lizzy who seemed more crestfallen than I felt.

Luckily Mary knew nothing about it and she thought I was at a sleepover so her attitude didn't really change. I was happy to be near her again. It was a Saturday the next morning I woke up since I did stay a week to rest after the operation. Adrian came to pick me up and then we went back to his house. I knew that he already broke the news to his family but I guess that they wanted to give me their condolences as well. I guess any condolences were well appreciated even if they weren't needed.

To be sure, his entire family felt pretty bad for me.

"I'm sorry that it didn't work out," Carlisle said but again I sensed that his voice was full of so much pain that even though the words were simple, I believed him.

"I'm sorry too, my dear," Esme said.

"Yeah," Rosalie said simply.

"Oh Charlotte," Alice said, surprising me with a hug.

Jasper apologized in a low voice and as did Edward and Bella. Emmett was the last to apologize but his apology brought a smile to my face.

"Eh, all you need to learn now is how to wrestle and you'll become a world sensation," he said. He made it sound like being blind was a good thing. I half believed him.

"Seth's coming," Edward suddenly announced.

_There he goes again, knowing everything_, I thought.

"What, again?" Adrian asked, sounding annoyed. I still didn't get why he didn't like Seth. Or how anyone could dislike Seth in general.

"Hey," he said and it may just have been my imagination, but I felt as if he was talking just to me.

"Hi Seth," I said, reaching out my hand. It suddenly felt crowded in the room and I wanted to go outside. I'd already been uselessly comforted by Adrian and now I just wanted to be alone with Seth. I barely knew him but he seemed to understand everything. Kind of like Edward and Carlisle but in a more in-depth way.

Seth took my hand and feeling the familiar warmth brought a smile to my face. For a moment it felt like everything would be alright and nothing bad in the world had happened. I just took a nice week long trip and ditched school. Nothing big...

"No," Adrian said suddenly and then I felt him grab hold of my other hand. Cold as ice, as usual.

"What's your problem?" Seth tossed back. It was the first time I heard his voice in a non-friendly manner. It almost made him seem like a stranger to me.

"Adrian, I think Charlotte should go out with Seth for a bit. They haven't seen each other for a week after all," Edward said cooly.

"Why should she see _Seth_?" Adrian hissed, saying Seth's name like it was venom.

"I'm only taking her out for a bit," Seth said and bit of his friendliness seeped back into his voice.

It was at that moment that I realize just how protective Adrian was at me and for some reason I felt pretty flattered.

"Adrian, I'll be fine. Seth won't hurt me," I said, unsure how else I could assure him. Would that be good enough though?

"That's true," Seth muttered. "I'd rather die than hurt her after all."

Again I felt flattered. Was he also protective of me? Well then what were they protecting me from? _Each other_?

Adrian finally let go of me but I sensed that he was in fact being pulled back just a bit and then I was led outside by Seth.

"Er...we may be a bit to close to the house," Seth confessed once we were outside. "Do you mind if we go maybe farther a bit?"

I shrugged, kind of indifferent to the whole thing but at the same time worried about what Adrian might think. Was he really convinced that Seth would hurt me or something? I couldn't sworn on a multitude of things that Seth wasn't a bad guy though. No one could fake the feeling and friendliness in his voice, at least not anyone _I'd_ met.

Seth never let go of my hand but we walked slowly just the same, farther and farther away from the house. We stopped under a tree and Seth lifted me up onto a low branch.

"So, how are you feeling?" he finally asked.

Adrian had asked the exact same question but I'd kind of sugar coated it for him. Adrian seemed to always be worried about me and looking out for me and I didn't want to trouble him further. Seth on the other hand seemed like someone I could share my troubles with. It wasn't that Adrian didn't understand but it was just that Seth didn't seem as much the comforting type. I couldn't choose which of their personalities I preferred. Like summer and winter, they seemed exact opposites in some ways.

"At first I was disappointed but I'm actually kind of relieved," I said, smiling. "And being an optimist really does help. After all, nothing's really changed."

I didn't see him, but I was pretty sure that Seth smiled.

"That's true," he said. "And it's just more of what you're used to, right?"

I nodded. Of course he'd understand. Seth understood everything.

"Yes and I was kind of afraid of what I'd see," I admitted, leaning back against the tree trunk and stretching my legs out. Seth seemed content to just stand on the ground. "Sometimes I wish I can see though, like now for instance. There've been many times when I wished that I could see what you look like or what the Cullens look like..."

Seth was grinning I was sure of it now. Even through his voice he sounded happy. "Well I'm glad you think me worthy enough to be seen."

I laughed for the first time in a while. Looking back, it seemed like I could only laugh around Seth ever since I came to Forks."

"Oh yeah, now that you're back and before I forget to tell you, there's going to be a bonfire next weekend," Seth pointed out.

I paused. A bonfire...oh right, I promised to go with him.

"I'll be sure to tell my guardians that I'll be going," I said.

He didn't seem convinced. "Is something wrong?"

Like with Edward, I probably couldn't hide it so I told him at last about my insecurities with fire.

He surprised me by laughing. "Is that all? Well don't worry, I'll protect you."

The way he said it made me believe him so I actually smiled and agreed truthfully this time to go with him.

We talked a bit more and then finally we went back to the house. Seth seemed a bit reluctant to do so though.


	14. What Do You Think Of Me?

Another week passed and then it was almost mid-June. I hadn't realized just how quickly my life in Forks had passed and more so, I made it through my first year in high school. I was more impressed with the fact that I could attend a normal school with people who could actually see. Of course Adrian was around to help out a lot and guide me through the halls but besides that I did fine. Mary was officially warmed up to her school and her classmates and had even gone to a friend's house a few times. The first time I was filled with complete worry but of course I let her go since I never wanted to hold her back of spoil her fun. I didn't want to do that to anyone.

That's probably why I also agreed to go to the bonfire with Seth. Before he came to pick me up I told Lizzy about it and again she began to get skeptical just as she had been when she first met Adrian. I bet if I told her Adrian was taking me to a party with actual alcohol she might've been more trustworthy. But then again, that's Lizzy for you.

I didn't see what she got me to wear, but she told me that I was wearing light brown jeans so I could almost imagine what those were like and then a light blue blouse. I felt that the blouse was soft and flowy but of course I couldn't imagine the colour. Then she tied my hair up in two simply ponytails and waited with me outside on the porch. Although it was almost summer, it was still relatively cool outside so she also gave me a sweater just in case.

I heard a car approaching way before she did and in just a bit I heard a car door slam.

"Hi I'm Seth," I heard Seth greet in his familiar voice and as usual, he sounded like he was smiling.

It took Lizzy a few seconds to actually respond, although I didn't know why. "H-hello, I'm Lizzy. I understand you're taking Charlotte out tonight to a..."

"Bonfire," Seth finished. It surprised me how grown-up he could sound sometimes. Lizzy was pretty much playing the mother-figure right then so I suppose that first impressions counted with her.

"Ah I see. Well then, I'll just let you go," Lizzy said. She tried to help me up but just to show her that I wasn't weak by myself, I stood up and even walked forward. I reached my hand out and in an instant Seth's hand was around mine.

Lizzy sighed and reluctantly opened the door to go back into the house. "Have her home by eleven at the latest," she said. "I understand these things may sometimes last over midnight."

"I understand," Seth said and then the door closed and Seth was half-lifting me down the stairs. No, wait a second, he _was_ lifting me. Both of his hands were around my waist and he was carrying me as if I was no heavier than an empty cardboard box. Before I could protest against anything, I was already seated in his car and my seat-belt was fastened. Another second and then Seth was beside me and starting up the engine.

I liked his car. It smelled so...earth. Like dried roots, but the good herbal kind that some people used for relaxation. Like Seth, it felt very warm.

For a while we were both silent, but it couldn't last for long. I was the first to speak up. "So um, hey."

"Hey." It sounded like he was stifling a laugh.

"So...these bonfires, um, what do we do at them?"

"Oh it's nothing too out of the ordinary, not for us anyway. Basically a lot of us gather around a bonfire and the Elders tell us stories about our tribe. Tribal legends and whatnot. Most of them are quite true though. A lot of them explain our traditions and customs and whatnot."

It did sound interesting the way he explained it. I didn't know much about worldly cultures, so maybe this was also an excuse to learn a bit.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you away from the fire," Seth said.

I laughed. "Just make sure to have an extinguisher ready,"I joked.

"You know you'll be meeting all my friends, right?" he asked.

"Besides Jacob?"

"Yeah. Jacob and Nessie'll be there and then there's a ton of my other friends. You think you can keep up if I introduced you once?"

I thought of Britney and her friends and how I couldn't keep track of who was who. But then again with the Cullens it was easy to remember. With Seth's friends I would also make the effort.

"I'll keep up," I promised.

"Good. Uh...there's one thing you should know before we get there," he said.

"What?"

"Um...my sister Leah. She'll also be there but she's not the friendliest person as I've already told you. And the thing is that she doesn't know I've been hanging out at the Cullens' so it's better if you don't mention it."

"Why shouldn't she know?" I asked. It seemed natural to me for a sister to know these things. I was also an older sister and if even for a second I didn't know where Mary was, I would be worried.

"She's not as close to the Cullens as the rest of us," Seth said.

I felt like I was going to cry. It was a lie, what Seth said. That wasn't the reason that his sister shouldn't know anything. That wasn't the reason at all. Of course others had lied to me before, but not Seth. I could accept a lie from anyone but Seth. He wasn't the type to lie...it wasn't in his nature and...I didn't get why he felt the need to lie to me. I hadn't asked about the Cullens this time and I was getting used to lies about them so that was fine. But why would Seth lie to me about something other than the Cullens? At first when I met him I might've accepted any lies but now that Seth had become so close a friend to me, I felt it was unfair.

"Hey! Hey, what's wrong?" Seth asked.

I realized that he had stopped the car and my eyes were full of tears.

At first I wanted to dismiss it as nothing but I could feel his gaze on me and my left hand felt warm. His hand was slowly starting to take hold of mine. I decided to tell him the truth.

"J-just...why would you lie to me about your sister?" I asked. "Seth, I can _tell_ when people are lying and I'll accept lies about the Cullens because I get that it's not in your place to tell me anything about them. But about you and your sister...w-why aren't I allowed to know?"

He sighed. "You really want to know?"

I nodded. "Yes! Please, just let me know _something! _I only _feel_ blind when someone tries to hid the truth from me and...I thought you were better than that Seth. Do friends lie to each other?"

"Friends..." he chuckled at the word and it wasn't his usual chuckle. Suddenly things had gotten serious. "Is that all I am to you?"

I didn't know what to answer because I didn't know what he meant by the question. Of course he was my friend but...no, he was more than that.

"You're the closest friend I've ever had," I said. "Almost like family but I don't think I could ever think of you as a brother..."

"Then what do you think of me as?" he asked, sounding eager now.

"I-I don't know..." I stammered. "S-Seth you're important to me...you've become really important!" God, I was starting to sound like a love-struck teenager on a soap opera! "And I don't want to lose you and I like spending time with you and..."

Suddenly Seth clutched me to him, one hand at the back of my head and the other wrapped securely around me. "Would you say that...you love me?" he asked in barely more than a whisper.

I was frozen in place in his arms, but I didn't really want to move either. He was warm and it felt nice. But I needed to think because his words were important. I knew exactly what he meant by them and now he was asking me if I felt that way. I wanted to answer him but then for some reason I felt a cool shiver down my spine that reminded me of Adrian.

Adrian...now there was another important person to me. But was he as important as Seth? Could he ever be? It felt like a sort of moment of truth and I was being asked who I loved and cared for most. I was being asked to choose between Seth and Adrian and at first I felt as if it was a decision I just couldn't make. Summer and winter...Seth and Adrian...they were both just _so different, _so could a comparison even be made?

On one side I had Adrian, my first real friend. He voiced him opinion clearly to me ever since we met and ever since then he was always there for me. He cared about my blindness and had tried his best to help cure it and when it was impossible I felt as if he would tear someone's head off just for the heck of it. He cared about me, also as a person. It was a conceited thought to think that Adrian might love me, but what else could I think?

Then on the other side I had Seth, my best friend. He couldn't do as much as Adrian had done to help me with my eyes but that hardly made a difference. Seth didn't only care about my pain, it seemed like he _shared _it. It was him who empathized with me over losing my parents since he lost his dad. It was him who sounded like the pained one whenever something that made me sad was mentioned. When I talked about Mary and how much I loved her and other small things, Seth almost _reflected_ my emotions back at me. He understood me better than anyone ever could. And the thing is...I also understood _him. _Rather than just being two people, it was as if we formed one individual. One puzzle piece.

With Adrian it could feel like we were two halves of a_ puzzle_, but with Seth we were two halves of a _puzzle_ _piece_. I realized then that I did love Adrian, but not in the way I loved Seth. Maybe things like that would never change...

Seth was holding me tightly, but I managed to shift my arms enough so that my hands were near his face. I tilted my head up towards him and slowly put my fingers over his chin and then I moved up to his cheeks, his lips, his nose, his eyes and his forehead. Never before had I felt so close to Seth. It was almost as if I could imagine his features. And he felt so warm...always so warm.

"Yes, I love you," I replied at last.

I felt his smile under my fingers but then it disappeared again. "Would you say that you love me like this?" he asked.

Then the next moment, his lips had suddenly moved from under my hands and to my own lips. Now I felt warm, but pleasantly so. His lips lingered for a bit on mine, but his kiss was soft. He moved his lips away and I found that I was a bit disappointed. I wanted them back on my lips...

"Yes," I whispered. "Like that."

He leaned forward again, and this time paused, his forehead on mine. "I love you Charlotte."

I had to say it directly back at him. I wanted him to know and to understand. It was like the final clarification for what I felt. "I love you too Seth."

He was about to brush his lips to mine again, when suddenly he pulled back.

"Holy sh-! We're going to be late for the bonfire!" he exclaimed.

I laughed loudly, finding that comedic for some reason. "J-just don't break any speed laws," I gasped, my stomach aching.

But I was still laughing. Seth joined in and then finally the car got moving again. Only this time Seth kept one hand firmly clutched around mine. Never had it felt warmer.

* * *

**Ok so it's well decided who Charlotte loves and all, but this story is far from being over. There are still a lot of things that need to happen and Adrian still plays a major role in this entire story.**

**Oh and please let it be made clear that this is not going to be a whole werewolf-vampire thing where Charlotte is caught in the middle. I just want it made clear that she loves only Seth in that way and that Adrian won't be her love interest.**

**Please tell me what you think :3**


	15. The Bonfire

It wasn't long until we reached the bonfire. Seth took off my seat beat and then lifted me out of his car, again carrying me as if I was extremely light. This time while he was carrying me, I noticed that he did in fact have really big muscles. Maybe that was how he was able to carry me.

"Seth, put me down," I whispered as the sounds from the bonfire grew louder.

"We're in the trees now," Seth whispered. "They won't see us here."

"Weren't you going to introduce me?"

"Not yet," Seth said and the next thing I knew, I was set down on the ground, only my back was up against a tree. I could hear Seth's heavy breathing and more than that, he felt _really_ close.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Before we go out, mind giving me another kiss sweetheart?"

I must've blushed because this time when his hand touched my cheek it didn't feel as hot as usual. It was still warm though. I didn't even have to shift my position to sense that his arms were on either side of me. It felt like I was trapped, but I didn't care.

I leaned forward as much as I could, willing my lips to find Seth's. They did almost instantly and that familiar warmth coursed through my lips and into the depths of my body it seemed. I didn't want to let go; I wanted it to last longer this time.

_Don't let go_, I thought, almost as if I was sending the message to Seth. Although he didn't hear me, I almost felt as if he was responding back by pressing his lips harder against mine. But it just wasn't enough. Before I knew it, I reached my tongue forward until it came to contact with Seth's lip. He hesitated, surprised for a second but then opened his mouth to me.

The kiss was deeper this time; more passionate. I enjoyed every second of it as Seth's tongue danced around with my own. His hands were just beginning to wander from the tree to my upper body when somebody yelled "Hey!"

Seth instantly pulled away from me and gave a playful laugh.

"Relax Paul, it's just me!" Seth laughed. The next moment I felt my hand being pulled forward and I followed Seth out of the trees into some kind of clearing. I didn't sense any new light around us so maybe the bonfire hadn't started yet.

"Yo, what were you doing in there?" the same voice asked. Seth had addressed him as Paul so I assumed that they were friends.

"Just parking the car," Seth said. "Where is everyone?"

"Off with their girls," Paul sniffed.

"Where's Rachel?" Seth laughed.

"Preparing for the bonfire with her father. Jake and Nessie are also helping out."

"Great!"

There was a pause and then Paul spoke again. "Who's that?" he asked in a low voice, but I could still hear him. I never thought too much on it before, but one of the advantages of being blind was better hearing.

"Charlotte, a friend of the Cullens'," Seth said. "But she wants to hear some tales of our tribe."

"Oh what so now every outsider that happens to come along and hook up with the Cullens automatically gets to hang around at our bonfires?" Paul sounded annoyed.

Seth sighed. "I'll explain it another time, ok? Where's Leah?"

"By the bay. Sam and Emily were headed the other way so she wanted to be as far away from them as possible."

"Yeah that sounds like Leah..."

"You gonna introduce me?" Paul suddenly asked, his voice reaching a normal volume.

"Charlotte, this is Paul, one of my friends. Paul, Charlotte."

"Nice to meet you," I said, for once not raising my hand out as a greeting.

"Hey," Paul said and then I heard his footsteps slowly fade away.

I turned towards Seth. "He...doesn't want me here, does he?"

"It's not you he has a problem with," Seth said, trying to soothe me but I could read between the lines.

"The Cullens?"

"The Cullens."

I sighed. Yet another unknown mystery about them no doubt.

It only took me five minutes this time to memorize who was who, although this time there were way more people. There was Sam and his wife Emily, Jared and his wife Kim, Paul and his girlfriend Rachel, Jacob and _his_ wife Nessie, Colin, Brady, Embry, Quil, a little girl named Claire, Leah, Billy Black and a couple of other elders. Everyone took to me quite normally, with the exception of Nessie and Leah.

Nessie for one thing seemed more interested in what I had to say about the Cullens rather than anything else. While she was asking me questions, both Jacob and Seth laughed. By her voice she sounded like a teenage girl and yet she and Jacob were married. Actually, almost everyone else who was married sounded mature, but Jacob and Nessie didn't. It was almost as if they'd gotten married early. More than that, now that I thought about it, even Carlisle and Esme from the Cullens seemed young. I was told that they adopted but just how old were they all?

Leah's reaction to me was slightly different. I didn't quite catch what she said, but the tone of her voice suggested that I'd be soaked in acid or something if I got too close to her brother. It was kind of late for that though...

* * *

After the bonfire, Jacob, Nessie and Leah were the ones to see me and Seth off.

"We'll be over at the beach tomorrow," Jacob said. "Why don't you come with us, Charlotte?"

I sensed Seth smiling. "That'd be great!"

"Uh, no it wouldn't," Leah said, and I felt her glare at me. "If I could just point out the obvious, she probably can't swim!"

I nodded. "That's true. I was never allowed near big water. I don't know what it'd be like."

"Relax, I'll keep her from drowning, but thanks so much for your _concern_, sis. I'd better take her home now."_  
_

"Bye bye Charlotte!" Nessie sang.

"Bye!" I called and then Seth and I climbed into his car and drove off. I waited a while before I spoke to him. "Actually I'm not sure that I want to go swimming."

"Hm? Oh that was just a joke. We'll just stay on the beach if you want."

"But don't you want to swim?"

"It'd rather be on the beach if you'll come." He wasn't lying either.

I cleared my throat. "So, the bonfire was nice."

"Yeah. Didn't need an extinguisher. Should I consider that as being lucky?"

"More or less."

"Did you like the tales of our tribe?"

I smiled. "I loved them. It was as if I was reading, only it was better and clearer to imagine than when I read in Braille. Thanks for bringing me."

"No regrets?"

I shook my head. "None." And I wasn't talking just about the bonfire. "Leah seems...passionate, by the way." It was hard to sort of give her a compliment and I wanted to remain as honest as possible.

Seth sniffed. "Yeah, a real charmer."

"I just don't get why she hates me though. Is she really that protective of you?"

"_That's_ an understatement. Overprotective is what she is."

"What does she think I can do?" I asked, confused. "I couldn't hurt anyone if I even tried." I sometimes really felt pathetic being blind. It wasn't often, but sometimes I realized that no matter what made me angry and how much I maybe wanted to hit something, I'd only miss and probably end up hurting myself more.

Seth suddenly stopped the car, but we couldn't possibly have reached my house yet. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Seth chuckled slightly and I heard him unfasten his seat-belt. "You honestly think that you can't hurt anyone? That you can't hurt _me_?" I was about to protest that I didn't want to hurt him, but he covered my lips with his fingertips. "Charlotte, you're the one who can hurt me most," he said. "And even then I wouldn't change how I feel about you. You probably can't ever understand just how much I _do_ feel for you."

I removed his fingertips from my lips, but kept his hand in mine. "How could you honestly feel like that? You haven't known me for that long and yet you..." I tilted my head up, trying to make it seem as if I was looking at him. "Ever since the day we met actually, it seems like you've been treating me as if I was worth more to you than anything." It sounded stupid and unrealistic the way I said it, but how else could I describe it? I waited for him to tell me that I was wrong and that it was just my imagination. I would believe him if he corrected me. But he never did.

"Charlotte, it's something that can't be explained. You know about love at first sight, right? Well this is deeper than that. _Way_ deeper."

I didn't know whether or not his words were intended to scare me or anything because it was something that I wasn't used to. Instead I responded by putting his hand to my cheek.

"I don't want to hurt you," I whispered.

Seth pulled my face closer to his and was about to kiss me when suddenly we heard a yell and I sensed a strong light when I turned my head.

"Seth! Get her out of there!" came a yell.

I gasped. Oh my god...Adrian...


	16. In the Middle Again

He'd seen us. Just as we were about to kiss, Adrian had seen us. I felt slightly embarrassed, and also guilty. It felt as if I _shouldn't_ be doing anything with Seth, not in front of Adrian anyway. Seth gave a low growl, but then helped me out of the car anyway. He pretty much carried me in his arms and then set me down somewhere.

"Are you ok Charlotte?" Adrian asked, surprising me by taking my left hand in his. Seth had let go of me entirely now. I felt as if I missed his presence. _Seth, why did you let go_?

"What are you doing here?" I asked him. I wanted to be alone with Seth, to hear what he had to say, to kiss him again. I didn't want Adrian here. No matter how much Adrian meant to me, for once I wanted him gone. I wanted Seth. I felt for a moment as if only Seth mattered.

But then my world came crashing down as I came to the realization that I had no right to think that. Adrian also mattered. He cared so much about my blindness and even tried to do something about it. He didn't deserve to just be pushed away like that. How could I have thought such cold things towards him a minute ago.

"I came to bring you home," he said. Another lie.

"I was going to do that," Seth said.

A low growl sounded from Adrian. "Oh really? Are you sure you didn't plan on taking her _elsewhere_?!"

I knew what he was thinking about and it almost shocked me that Adrian could think such things. I knew he was just being protective but still...did Seth really look that dangerous, even to Adrian? I wished so much that I could see what was going on! For once, just the sounds around me were confusing!

"I planned on taking her straight home," Seth said. It wasn't a lie. He was being completely honest. Adrian didn't completely believe this though.

"I'm taking her home now and you'd better stay away from her in the future!" Adrian barked.

"I can't," Seth replied calmly and he took hold of my other hand.

Adrian barely moved and then he slowly let go of my hand. "Don't tell me that you've..."

"Yes," Seth replied simply and that seemed to close the subject.

"Charlotte," Adrian said. "Do you...what do you feel for Seth?"

I suppose that he had to find out sooner or later. Just not in this way.

"I love him," I said. I didn't know what other explanation to give. If I went too into detail, maybe he couldn't stand it. Still, just saying those three words made it seem like such a feeble answer.

"And what about me?" Adrian asked. "Don't you know how I feel?"

I paused. How was I supposed to answer that? I just felt more and more guilty.

Adrian turned away from me. "I love you, Charlotte. You know that now, so what do you have to say?"

I bit my bottom lip and stepped away from Seth, letting go of his hand. Seth didn't even try to stop me and I was glad he didn't. This was between me and Adrian now.

"I-I love you too Adrian."

It took Adrian a long time to answer and several times I felt as if he just wanted to turned around and punch Seth, but he didn't. Instead, he just said four words that made final his understanding.

"But not like him."

"No," I said. "Not like him."

"Heh, I should've known," he said. "The dedication and loyalty of dogs is enough to win anyone over."

What did he just say? D-dogs?

"You have no right to say that!" Seth suddenly exclaimed, sounding angry. What had just happened? Was calling Quileute people 'dogs' a huge insult or something? Suddenly I felt slightly mad at Adrian too if that was the case.

"Huh? Why? It's not like anyone's stopping me. In fact, what if I were to tell her what _I _am? That's not against any laws. After all, the so-called 'Volturi' don't even know I exist. I'm virtually free to do what I want."

"I respect the Cullens and I won't have you doing anything to harm them!" Seth yelled.

They continued arguing, only I wasn't listening anymore. Something was happening...something that I couldn't fathom.

First, I started sensing something different from what I was used to. It wasn't black or brown or anything like that at all. I think that...that I was starting to _see. _I didn't know what to make of it at all. I wasn't certain what I saw. At first it looked like nothingness as I just kept looking up.

It was a colour that was almost black and then with tiny specks of something reaching everywhere. That was the sky at night. I was told that there were stars in the sky. Where those the specks? Was I seeing the _sky__?!_

Suddenly I felt someone take hold of my hand, only this time I could _see_ who it was. I saw what my hand looked like..._I saw it_. It was such a unique colour that I'd never seen before, and wrapped around my hand was another hand, a bit darker in colour than mine. I looked up and saw a face. I'm certain that it was a face. It was only then that I realized that Seth and Adrian had stopped arguing and now one of them was in front of me. Was that was humans looked like? I only saw one of them, but I wasn't sure which one until he spoke.

"Charlotte, are you ok?"

It was Seth. Seth's face was the first that I saw. I saw his hand and I saw _him_. Never had it crossed my mind that I would see him, but I desperately wanted to. I reached out my other hand and touched his face. I saw his expression change and I adored it. I could _see_ and I liked what I saw. I saw Seth and he looked good. I loved every inch of his face from his set jaw all the way to his gentle eyes. So that was what gentle eyes looked like. And now they were full of an emotion that I think was surprise. Is that how surprise was shown?

"Charlotte...do you by any chance..._see_ me?" he asked. He probably sensed that I was looking at him.

I slowly nodded. "You're not clear, but I can definitely see you..."

It was true too. It was all kind of blurry and hazy just like what I was used to, but bit by bit my eyes began to focus. Seth's eyes widened and he suddenly turned away from me to face Adrian. No, I wanted to keep looking at his face!

But then beyond him, I saw Adrian. Adrian also looked good, actually more than good, but he and Seth looked so different that I just couldn't compare them! His hair was a colour close to brown and I didn't know how to name the rest of the colours. But his face was handsome and right now he looked at me with a smile. He should smile more often...

"You didn't..." Seth spat.

Adrian shrugged. "Alright, I suppose that if you prefer her blind..."

Suddenly everything had gone black again. It had all gone back to normal, back to the way I was used to, but this time I really felt what the word blind meant. It was terrible, not being able to see and I wanted more than anything to be able to see again! Without realizing it, I began to scream and cry.

"Charlotte!" Seth yelled, but I didn't respond. I just fell to the ground and clutched at my sides. I felt as if I would break. But then as soon as I felt Seth's hands around me, I relaxed again and just stayed close to him, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat. It put me at ease.

"I want to see," I moaned. "Seth...I feel as if I want to die if I can't see...it was so quick but so beautiful! It made me feel almost whole in a different way than what I am used to. And...I got to see you, just like I wanted. I saw you first..."

Seth shook as if he was on the verge of crying himself.

"Adrian...what did you do?" he asked.

I gasped. So...Adrian had done that? B-but how?

"Adrian..." I said slowly. "Was that seeing? H-how...?"

Adrian chuckled. "Simple. I can give or take away any sense that anyone has. If I want to make you deaf, I can. If I want to take away any sense from you, I can. Likewise, I can even give you sight."

"W-why? Is it only you? Why?"

"Because I'm a vampire."

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Dum dum dum!**

**Please tell me what you think! :3**


	17. Imprintee

A vampire? I'd heard about vampires and even read about them in Braille. I read the story of Dracula and knew it well enough, but I knew that vampires weren't real. If they were real, I guess I should be afraid since I literally can't see them coming. Just one bite on my neck and it'd be all over. I didn't know how much was true or not about vampires though...

So was Adrian joking? I felt Seth tense up next to me. Why was he getting so tense? Did that mean that...could Adrian possibly be telling the truth?

Adrian took a few steps toward us and Seth stepped in front of me, probably putting himself in the middle. What was going on?

"Don't believe me?" Adrian said, his melodic voice tempting me to approach him. "Why don't you come here and find out?"

Seth growled and that growl seemed to rumble through his entire body. He was shaking and for a moment I felt as if my hand on his arm was the only thing to stop him from going off like a bomb.

"You dare touch her and I'll kill you!" he threatened, his voice menacing.

Adrian wasn't smiling anymore. His voice also sounded angry now. "Protecting her like a dog I see? Well come on mutt, let's see you do it! But as soon as you do, then I'll make her see the whole thing. Won't be so into you _then_, will she?"

What were they _talking_ about? I was so confused! Adrian just confessed to me that he was a vampire and as crazy as it sounded, I was probably even more crazy for believing him. But what else could I do? I'd just _seen_ something and if Adrian had caused that, then he was clearly not human!

"Let me see again," I said in a low voice, but both of them seemed to hear me.

"W-what?" Seth asked.

I arched my neck forward, trying to indicate that I was talking to Adrian. "Let me see," I repeated, making it sound as if it was almost a command.

Adrian stepped forward and this time Seth didn't stop him. He didn't let go of me either, but he didn't stop Adrian as he approached me. Adrian took hold of my hand and suddenly I could see again. Only this time, my vision was crystal clear. I saw Adrian looking at me, and honestly he seemed both confused and pleased. I turned around to see Seth again, and he was just as confused. But more than that, I saw a hint of hurt in his eyes, although it looked like he was trying to hide it. It tugged at my core seeing that look, so I quickly took my hand away from Adrian's and this probably surprised Adrian because in the next moment I was suddenly blind again.

"It doesn't change anything," I said to Adrian. "It doesn't change anything, you being a vampire, or rather you giving me sight. It doesn't mean anything to me."

Adrian took my hand again and my sight was back, but this time I shut my eyes tight and buried my head in Seth's chest. Adrian waited a bit and then finally let go of my hand. When I opened my eyes, everything was still black.

"Don't lie to yourself Charlotte," Adrian said. "You _know_ you want your sight. I can give it to you, _permanently_ if you want."_  
_

I shook my head. I did was to see, but not if it was going to cost me Seth's trust. That look in his eyes haunted me, and even blind I couldn't erase it from my memory.

"I don't want anything from you," I whispered. "Just go away."

He sucked in a breath and honestly, I think it was the first time I heard him breathe. Then he growled and it sounded almost like he was hungry.

I couldn't see what happened next, but Seth was ripped from my side in an instant, but not before I felt something soft touch my hand. It felt similar to...to how I remember fur felt like...

For a while after that, I heard clashing sounds and growling sounds and even a howl or two, but I couldn't tell what was going on. I just stood in place, unsure where to go. But suddenly all the sounds ceased and I only sensed one presence with me. I waited and after a while I heard his voice.

"Charlotte, are you ok?"

"Seth," I said, reaching my hand out to him. He gratefully took it and I threw myself against him. He didn't shift in the least. I don't know why but I started crying. I suppose I might've been afraid of all the sounds and of everything that happened, but instead swarms of apologies poured out of me. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Woah Charlotte, hang on! Just what are you apologizing for?" Seth asked.

"For making you look like that," I said. "I saw how your eyes looked. It looked as if you were in pain Seth! I-I couldn't stand it!"

Seth placed a hand on my head in an attempt to calm me down. I stopped crying and let my tears dry.

"It's ok. You already chose me, didn't you?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Then what's there to worry about? Not that you couldn't change your mind or anything..."

I shook my head vigorously. "Don't say that!"

Seth chuckled lightly but he wasn't lightening the mood any. For once, I couldn't latch onto his optimism. We just stood like that for a bit and then finally I thought to ask him something.

"Seth, what was that?"

"What?"

"After you let go of me...what happened?"

Seth sighed. "How do I explain this...um...I guess I'm allowed to tell you and now that you know about vampires, you may as well know about me too..."

"What? What are you?"

"In plain terms, a werewolf."

"A _werewolf_?" I was speechless.

Seth laughed. "Hey, you believed that Adrian was a vampire, so how is this any harder to believe?"

I shook my head. "It's not." So that was why I felt some fur and why Adrian cracked all those jokes about dogs. Seth _was_ a dog in a way.

"Any more questions? I suppose I'm pretty open to answering some right about now..."

I thought carefully before choosing my question. "Are all the Cullens vampires?"

"Yes."

I swallowed. "And are all your friends werewolves?"

"All the guys and my sister Leah, yeah."

"What about their wives and girlfriends? Do they know about this?"

"Yeah."

"But they're human, right?"

"Well, it gets slightly more complicated at this point," Seth sighed. "And this is kinda the part where you get involved."

"Oh?" I asked, suddenly feeling curious. "And what am I then?"

"An imprintee."

"A _what_?"

"Imprintee. It's basically who each werewolf imprints on."

"Imprints on..." I repeated. I wasn't getting _any_ of this.

"Yeah. See, each werewolf has a sort of spiritual connection to someone, almost like soul-mates but deeper. It's not entirely of our choosing who it is, but all it takes is one look and we're hooked."

"So then, the first time you saw me..."

"That was when I imprinted." He paused, and it was almost as if I knew what he was thinking. He was waiting for me to be creeped out, repulsed even. But I didn't feel any disgust whatsoever. Instead I felt closer to him than ever before.

I slowly made my way up to his mouth and planted a kiss on his lips. "I'm glad," I said. "I'm glad, only I'm not so sure if you are. After all, it'd not your choice, right?"

Seth shrugged. "Maybe not, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world," he said. "Believe it or not, of my own free will, I love you."

I smiled. "I love you too."

He kissed me back only this time I didn't want to let go. But I was so tired...so much had happened. There was a lot I had to sort through in my mind and way too much to process and I was tired. I needed sleep. Sleep would be nice...

* * *

**For those of you who are ready to count Adrian out as a major character in this story, don't do that just yet. Adrian still plays a MAJOR role in this story and in the next chapter you'll find out why.**

**Please tell me what you think :3**


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